


Hey Hey! The Nanami Experiment

by ultimateslothiraptor



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different Protagonist (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Attempt at Humor, Autistic Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Autistic Nanami Chiaki, Canon-Typical Violence, Different Survivors, Enoshima Junko Being Enoshima Junko, F/F, F/M, Homophobic Language, Human Nanami Chiaki, Kamukura Izuru Has Feelings, Kirigiri Kyoko is so Done, Komaeda Nagito's Luck Cycle, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nanami Chiaki Lives, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, She/Her Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, Trans Fujisaki Chihiro, Trans Togami Byakuya, accidental misgendering, bandaid is a probably, because let's face it dr3 doesn't do a very good job of establishing real chiaki's character, because like i have a clear plot line in mind but also i'm making most of this up as i go, because you know... danganronpa, both from junko/monokuma don't worry, but i give her some traits from the ai, everyone putting up with ibuki, i probably should've edited this, is there a word for knowing exactly what you're doing but also completely winging it, mahiru being the group mom, no beta readers we die like men, possibly unintentional ooc bc i don't know how to write, some fluffy moments?? i think??, transphobic language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:49:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 45,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28556406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultimateslothiraptor/pseuds/ultimateslothiraptor
Summary: Izuru Kamukura rescues Chiaki Nanami after her supposed murder by Junko Enoshima. Junko finds out, but instead of killing Chiaki, she inserts her into the killing game as the sixteenth student. How will her involvement change things? Will she be able to pull her classmates together and combat despair? Or will she fall to despair herself?Or: the fic where I add tags as I think of them and delete them seemingly at random because I'm an absolute mess.This fic has taken over my entire life. I've become addicted to my own shitty fanfiction. What the fuck is wrong with me
Relationships: Enoshima Junko & Kamukura Izuru, Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Celestia Ludenberg, Mioda Ibuki/Tsumiki Mikan, Naegi Makoto & Nanami Chiaki, Nanami Chiaki & Everyone, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 110
Kudos: 149





	1. Prologue: Tears of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> So I have this thing I do where I get bored, come up with a fic idea, write the first chapter, think 'hey I should post this', post it, and then immediately lose confidence in it and abandon it altogether. In other words, this is probably terrible and I just haven't realized it yet, so don't judge it too harshly.  
> This is my second time trying something like this, and the first time was an unmitigated disaster, so things are looking good for this one. *very sarcastic thumbs up emoji*  
> Don't forget to leave a hate comment

From the moment he was created, Izuru Kamakura knew that he could predict everything, and everything was predictable. It only took him minutes to become bored with the world. Everything was so painfully boring, and nothing was worth emotionally attaching to.

But now, standing over this dying girl, tears streaming down his face, he realized three things.

One: The feeling coursing through him right now… it was hope.

Two: That feeling had come out of nowhere. He hadn’t been able to predict it.

Three: He couldn’t let this girl die.

He gingerly scooped Chiaki up in his arms, careful to avoid aggravating her major injuries. Her eyes fluttered open. “Hajime?”

He knew he didn’t have much time. With all those deep puncture wounds, it was a matter of minutes before she bled out. Letting his instincts take over, he started running, dodging traps and tripwires with ease.

Junko Enoshima’s face appeared back on the monitors lining the walls. “Just what do you think you’re doing, mister?” she demanded. “Chiaki is supposed to die! That’s how it’s supposed to go! You can’t just save her!” She huffed. “You’re lucky I already turned off the monitors broadcasting this to her classmates. Otherwise they wouldn’t have fallen into despair, now would they?”

A small smile was creeping over Chiaki’s face. “Hajime… you’re saving me, aren’t you?”

“Save your energy,” Izuru muttered, ducking under a pair of swinging blades. “We’d have to be insanely lucky to save you at this rate.” He allowed himself a smile of his own. “Good thing that’s one of my talents too.”

“Hey!” Junko glared daggers through the monitor. “Don’t just ignore me when I’m talking to you, damn it! You’re seriously saving that little bitch instead of going with my plan?”

“Yes,” Izuru said simply.

“You’re never gonna find the exit!” she shouted. “You’re gonna be wandering that maze forever until you both – whaaa?”

Izuru had found the exit.

“You – you –” she spluttered. “You multi-talented son of a bitch! I can’t believe you!”

The exit led to an elevator. Izuru darted inside, pressed the button, and waited. It was only a few seconds, but it was agony. Every moment counted.

Finally, the elevator doors _ding_ ed open, and Izuru stepped out into the cold, rainy remains of Hope’s Peak Academy, where an angry mob of Reserve Course students were waiting for him.

“Pathetic,” he muttered, and took off running.

Students were on him in an instant, but with a single strike, Izuru sent all of them flying. A horde of others chased after him, but none could catch up. After just thirty seconds of running, Izuru had reached the nurse’s office.

He lay Chiaki down on a cot and treated her wounds. He grimaced. It looked bad… but not unfixable. After just five minutes, he had finished preliminary treatments.

“Hey!” Junko Enoshima burst through the door, panting. “You fuckwad! What do you think you’re doing?”  
Chiaki had regained enough of her strength to sit up. She glared at Junko. “New Game Plus, bitch. Bet you didn’t count on one of my party members being a max-level healer, did you?”

“Leave,” Izuru intoned. “If you know what’s good for you.”

“Ooh, spooky! I’m shakin’ in my boots over here!” Junko stamped her foot, her hands on her hips. “What is _with_ you, Beautiful Mind? I thought we were on the same team here?”

Izuru looked down. “It seems I had not fully considered my options before joining you. As unpredictable as despair may be, it seems that hope is even more so.” He stepped protectively in front of Chiaki. “I won’t let you take her.”

Junko tapped her foot. “Okay. Okay. This how you want to play it?” She pointed a finger at him. “I’ll make you a deal. Turn over Chiaki, and I just might let her live.”

“Why would I possibly do that?”

Junko laughed, spreading her arms and slowly turning in a circle. “Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t predicted everything that’s going to happen. The world will fall to chaos. Despair will rule. You really think our cutesy little gamer girl would last two seconds out there?”

“I can protect her.”

Junko rolled her eyes. “Of course. Big strong man Izuru Kamakura is gonna swoop in and save the day. But tell me – how do you plan to stand against seventeen Ultimate Despairs? Chiaki’s whole-ass class plus my sis and me? Face it, we’re pretty unstoppable.” She grinned. “Just run those numbers in your head real quick. All of your Ultimate talents combined can’t stand against despair. And oh, yeah, most of ‘em are Chiaki’s precious little classmates. Don’t you think she’d try to _change_ them? Don’t you think she’d risk her life to rehabilitate them? And how do you think that’s going to work out for her?”

For the first time in his life, Izuru hesitated. “I…”  
Junko stuck out her hand. “I’ll strike ya a deal. I won’t kill Chiaki straight out. Instead I’ll stick her in that little project I have coming up. If she survives, cross my heart, I’ll call off the Despairs and leave you and your gal pal alone. But if she doesn’t… you join my side and help spread despair across the world.”

“Hajime…” Chiaki pleaded. “You can’t turn me over to her. She’s insane.”

Izuru slowly turned around to face her, and his heart broke when he realized what he had to do. “I’m sorry, Chiaki. There’s no scenario where I turn her down and you survive. It’s all so hopelessly predictable. But if I make this deal… you might actually have a chance.”

“Hajime…” Tears were forming in her eyes. “Please…”

Izuru looked down at her and smiled, even though it killed him. Some small part of him, the part that was still Hajime, was screaming for him to take her by the hand and run away. But he knew he couldn’t. “I have every Ultimate talent in existence. That includes Ultimate Analyst and Ultimate Statistician. If I take her deal, you have a solid 21.38% chance to survive. If I don’t… it’s 0%. You have to trust me.”

He expected some pushback. He expected her to beg. Instead, she nodded. “I… I trust you, Hajime. I know you aren’t really Hajime anymore, but I know my Hajime is in there, and I know he would never do anything to hurt me.” She stood up. “Okay, Junko. I’ll go with you.”

Junko smiled her most sinister smile and whipped out a syringe. Chiaki closed her eyes, felt a prick on her arm, and –

The massive high school towered over all the other buildings in the bustling urban area. It was like the school stood at the center of the entire world.

Chiaki Nanami, Ultimate Gamer, stood in front of the gates. This was it. Her very first day at Hope’s Peak Academy. She took a deep breath. She was nervous, she had to admit. She’d never been very good at making friends. Social interaction had just never made much sense to her. She didn’t know how she was going to do at this school… but, whatever happened, it promised to be an adventure.

 _Just like a video game,_ she told herself. _This is only the tutorial. You don’t need to worry yet._

She took her first step into Hope’s Peak Academy. Her vision began to swim. She closed her eyes, and –

_Where am I?_

Chiaki slowly lifted her head from her desk. It was normal for her to pass out in the middle of the day, especially during some boring class, but this wasn’t any school she recognized. Gaudy animal-print wallpaper assaulted her eyes. There was a security camera that seemed to follow her as she moved. There was a scrap of paper sitting on her desk.

“The next semester is about to start,” she read aloud. “Starting today, this school will be your entire world.” She shook her head. “Creepy…”

It was starting to come back to her. She had been walking into Hope’s Peak, and then she’d… passed out? _Did someone carry me here?_

Glancing at the clock, she realized she was already ten minutes late. _Oh crap._ They were all supposed to meet in the main hall, right? Shaking off the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach and ignoring the fact that the windows were covered with iron sheets, she unsteadily began walking towards the main hall.

She opened the door, and was greeted by exactly the colorful array of students she’d expected.

“Are ya shittin’ me? Another one?” a boy with orange, Frito-shaped hair groaned.

“Mondo!” a boy with spiky black hair and a white school uniform admonished. “There is no need to be so rude!” He stepped forward, and Chiaki smiled in greeting before she realized he was yelling at her too. “Regardless, there is also no reason for you to be so late! Where were you?”  
Chiaki puffed her cheeks out in frustration. “I don’t know. I got here on time, I swear! I just… I think I passed out, and I woke up in a classroom just now.”

“Oh.” The boy shifted awkwardly. “Well, then, I suppose that can’t be helped. I was in a similar situation myself when I arrived here.” He smiled like he hadn’t just been chewing her out. “I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass! Pleased to make your acquaintance!”

“Yeah, we already introduced ourselves to each other, but we can go around again if you want,” a boy with spiky red hair and a short beard said. “The name’s Leon Kuwata, by the way.”

Just as she finished greeting a silver-haired girl named Kyoko, Chiaki noticed a plain-looking boy who seemed to be shrunk against the back wall. “Hey,” she said to him. “I’m Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer.” She held out a hand, and the boy shook it awkwardly.

“I’m Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student. Heh… sorry if I seem a little overwhelmed. I don’t exactly have a real talent, so I’m kind of out of my depth here.” He sighed. “I’m the only normal person in a crowd of exceptionally talented people… it’s a lot to take in.”

Chiaki flinched.

“What’s wrong?” Makoto asked, concerned.

She held a hand to her head. “Nothing. It’s just…” She could swear she’d heard something close to those exact words from someone before, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember who. “I think you reminded me of someone.”

“That makes sense. I’m, like, the most ordinary person in the world. I remind a lot of people of their friends because of that.”

“Right…” Chiaki nodded, but she couldn’t shake the feeling nagging at the back of her mind. Like she was forgetting something, or someone, really important. “But yeah, I know what you mean. It’s not like I’m insanely talented either. I’m just good at video games. It feels like everyone else is at Level 10 and I’m still figuring out the controls.

Makoto seemed to relax at that. “I know, right? This place is crazy.”

“More importantly… is that a machine gun?”  
Makoto looked up. “Holy crap, I think it is. And the door looks all futuristic and stuff, and the windows are bolted shut… what the hell is going on here?”

Just then, the monitor in the corner of the room flared to life. A dark silhouette appeared, something that looked almost like a teddy bear. Chiaki couldn’t help but shiver at the sound of its voice. Cheery, but somehow ominous. And disturbingly, horrifyingly familiar.

“To all incoming students. I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at… right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience.”

The screen went black again. Looking around, Chiaki could tell that everyone else was shaken as well. “You guys… what was that?” she asked.

“What. The. Hell,” Junko demanded.

Makoto shook his head, bewildered. “I… I guess we should go to the gym.”

One by one, students filed out. But Chiaki remained rooted in place, trapped by that familiar, malicious, despair-inducing voice.

“Hey Chiaki, you coming?”

“Yeah. In a minute.”

Taking one last glance at the monitor, she followed her classmates to the gym.

“Ready?” Makoto, who had apparently decided to hang around her for a while, asked. She nodded. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Chiaki felt a dark pit of dread open up in her stomach. What was waiting for her on the other side of that door…

Oh. It was just a completely normal entrance ceremony.

Then that voice spoke up again, a voice that shook Chiaki to her core. “Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let’s get things rolling!”

Something popped up from behind the podium, and Chiaki screamed.

It… it was a teddy bear. A black and white teddy bear with one jagged red eye. Unusual, certainly, but nothing to be afraid of.

So why was every instinct in Chiaki’s body telling her to run?

Mondo gave her a funny look. “Is that chick alright?”

Chiaki shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s just…” She couldn’t put it into words. The horrible sense of foreboding that came over her just at the sight of that bear. The memory was so close, but lodged just beyond her reach in the back of her mind. “Never mind.”

The bear cleared its throat. “Well, now that we’ve got _that_ out of the way… I am Monokuma, and I am your school’s headmaster!”

“GAAAH!” Hifumi screamed.

Mondo rolled his eyes. “Why is everyone so scared of this thing? It’s prolly just a remote control toy or somethin’.”

Monokuma growled. “Excuse me, I am _not_ just a toy. I… am… Monokuma!” He shook his head. “When will you children learn to respect your elders? Back in my day – gah! You’ve made me go off script! Naughty children. _Anyway_ , make no mistake, you all represent the hope of the world. And in order to protect that hope, you will all live a communal life here, solely within the confines of this school! And, regarding the end date for this communal life… it’s never!”

Chiaki felt her stomach drop.

Her classmates shouted at the bear in anger and confusion, but all she could do was stand there. Because, somewhere deep within her, she knew it was the truth.

She knew that this bear had the means and capability to keep them trapped there until they died.

“Oh, did I mention… there is one special clause for those of you who want to leave. The Graduation Clause! We rely on a communal lifestyle here at Hope’s Peak. And if someone were to violate that harmony… for instance, kill someone… they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school.”

Chiaki felt like she was about to faint.

“You must kill someone if you want to leave.”

More shouting. More arguing. But Chiaki couldn’t hear any of it.

All she could feel, all she was experiencing in that moment, was despair.

The sound of an explosion was enough to jolt her back to her senses. Monokuma had blown up, and another one had come in to take its place. She put a hand to her head, trying to stay balanced. This was all too much to take in.

Something was pressed into her hand. An E-handbook, apparently. Monokuma waxed on about its importance and quality. _Please… just stop. I need to process this. Leave me alone._

And, lo and behold, he did leave right after that. Chiaki swayed where she stood, then fell back. “Woah!” Mondo rushed to help her to her feet. “You okay?”

“Yeah. This is just… wow. It’s just a lot.”

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, that’s an understatement.”

“I wouldn’t get so touchy-feely right off the bat. There’s something we need to work out first,” Byakuya said.

“What is it?” Hina asked anxiously.

“Is anyone seriously considering this?”

Silence fell over the room. Everyone stared at each other. The hostility was palpable in the air.

The others were all considering the same thing: which one of them would betray the others first.

But all that filled Chiaki Nanami’s mind was despair.


	2. Chapter One: Survive and Thrive (Daily Life Part One)

“You must kill someone if you want to leave.”

Those words settled on the room like a physical force, pressing down on Chiaki Nanami until she could barely breathe, filling her mind and heart with a thick cloud of despair. But as heavy as the air felt, all it took to pierce it were her sharp words.

“So? What are you going to do now? Just stand around glaring at each other?”

Kyoko Kirigiri. The silver-haired enigma with a cold, impenetrable shell. Her words cut through the room, dissipating the tension, and suddenly Chiaki could breathe again.

“R-right,” Taka said, still sounding uneasy. “She’s right! Sometimes, even if you’re nervous or afraid, you have to step forward!” He grimaced. “To forget such a simple fact… I can’t forgive myself. I’m so ashamed!”

Almost on instinct, Chiaki spoke up. “It’s okay, Taka. Sometimes you make a mistake and you lose a few frames, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach the end of the level in time, or even set a record.” The despair filling her heart began to clear. Encouraging her classmates… it wasn’t something she had done often, but it felt somehow familiar, natural.

He stared at her. “You’re speaking English, but your words are completely indecipherable. Is this some sort of new slang?”

“She’s talking in video game terms,” Makoto explained. “Speedrunning, right?”

“Right!” Chiaki smiled. She wasn’t used to people speaking her language. “Speedruns are particularly challenging because there’s a lot of pressure to do everything perfectly, but even if you slip up, it doesn’t really matter, because you’ll probably reach the end of the level in time just because of how many things you’ve already done right. You might not get a record, but you won’t lose the game either.”

“Right!” Taka nodded with a newfound confidence. “So, what you’re trying to say is, mistakes aren’t impossible to overcome! You’re absolutely right, Chiaki! Thank you for your kind words!”

Mondo rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ. You guys keep goin’ on and on about shit that doesn’t matter. How’re we supposed to do anything about this…” He gestured around. “Ya know. This whole thing.”

“Look for a way out, duh!” Leon said.

“Yeah,” Junko said, “and we totally need to find whoever was controlling that stupid bear and beat the hell out of ‘em!”

Chiaki tilted her head at Junko. “Do… do I know you?” She shuddered. “Something about you seems… creepy.” She’d had that same feeling upon meeting her for the first time but had brushed it off, because she’d definitely remember meeting a famous model. Of course she knew who Junko Enoshima was, everyone did, but seeing her in person, something about her sent a jolt of fear down her spine.

For a split second, Junko looked shocked. “What the hell, Chiaki? You can’t just say that about someone.” She tossed a pigtail behind her hair. “And yeah, you’ve probably seen me on, like, magazine covers and junk.”

“Yeah…” Chiaki tried to push that feeling to the back of her mind. That wasn’t what was important right now. What mattered was getting out of here.

Kyoko cleared her throat. “Before doing anything, I suggest we examine the school regulations. It would be wise to know what offenses could get us killed before attempting anything.” She shot Mondo a look. “We have already used up our warning, after all.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Mondo muttered.

Chiaki opened her E-handbook and looked through the school regulations. As she did, she could hear exclamations of shock and anger around her.

“Bullshit!” Mondo snarled. “I’m not gonna let these rules control me!”

Celeste giggled. “Then by all means, disregard the rules, and wander the school without a care. Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules.”

“Celeste!” Chiaki said sharply. “If Mondo gets punished like what we saw before, there won’t be a respawn waiting for him.”

Celeste tilted her head. “And?”

“You can’t just say things like that!”

“I do not understand. Has it now become your place to decide what we can and cannot do?”

Chiaki’s confidence dissipated. “I guess not… I’m sorry.”

While Mondo went on about promises or something, Chiaki thought about that sudden burst of confidence. It wasn’t usually like her to get involved in other people’s business. But something inside her hadn’t been able to let Celeste’s mildly cruel offhand comment go.

_Class rep… I was the class rep!_

She put a hand to her head. Her mind felt like it was splitting in two. _No I wasn’t. That doesn’t make sense. I’ve never been class rep in my life._

“Hey,” Sayaka said, “what do you think regulation 6 means, exactly? ‘Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes “blackened” will graduate, unless they are discovered.’”

“It’s simple, really,” Byakuya said. “If you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you.” He scoffed. “Personally, I don’t see any reason to worry about it. If we simply follow the rules as they’ve been presented, we should be fine.”

“Well,” Hina said, “for now let’s just forget all that stuff about murders or whatever. Let’s start exploring the school!”

Taka nodded and started to speak, but Byakuya cut him off. “I’ll be going alone.”

“That’s a pretty stupid idea,” Junko commented.

“Yeah,” Chiaki agreed. “Safety in numbers, right? In MMOs, you’re almost always better off staying with your party in unfamiliar areas.”

“Does this look like a video game?” Byakuya demanded. “Any one of us could be thinking about murdering the others. Should we simply stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?”

“No. I won’t let that happen.”

That flare of confidence and determination Chiaki had felt earlier was back. “I’m not going to let my classmates kill each other.”

“And what makes you think you could do anything to prevent it?” Byakuya asked.

_Because I’m your class rep._

“Because, well… you’re my classmates. And because of that, I’m going to protect you.” Chiaki nodded firmly. “You don’t have to worry about anyone betraying you, because I’ll keep us safe.”

“Touching,” Byakuya said dryly. “I’m still going alone.”

He started to walk off, but Mondo stepped in front of him. “Hold on! Like hell I’m just gonna let you do whatever you want!”

“Out of my way, plankton.”

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

Byakuya smirked. “One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So miniscule, so insignificant, it couldn’t possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean.”

Chiaki couldn’t help it. She snickered.

“What?” Byakuya demanded.

“Nothing.” She waved a hand. “It’s just… you sound like a bad video game villain.”

Makoto laughed. “Yeah… no offense, but you kind of do."

Junko joined in the laughter. “‘One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea’”, she mocked. “Like, seriously. Was that the best insult you could come up with? That is _pathetic_.”

Chihiro smiled weakly. “A-as someone who’s been bullied a lot… that _was_ pretty funny, f-for an insult.”

Mondo stared at Byakuya for a second. Then he smirked. “Yeah, that really the best you can do? Seriously, man, just call me a dick or somethin’. You don’t gotta try so hard.”

“This kind of meaningless jabber is exactly why you’re going to die first!” Byakuya shouted.

The laughter died. “The fuck did you just say to me?” Mondo asked, his voice dangerously low.

“Ooh, Togami’s upping his game,” Junko commented. She was the only one amused.

“I’LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Mondo roared.

“Guys, stop!” Makoto yelled. “We shouldn’t fight!”  
Mondo slowly turned to face him. Makoto visibly gulped. “You some kinda goody-goody little bitch, huh?” Mondo snarled. “Who do you think you are, my dad or somethin’?”

Makoto held up his hands. “What? No! I wasn’t –”

A _whoosh_ ing sound cut through the air as Mondo’s fist shot forward. Makoto closed his eyes, and –

The punch never came.

Makoto opened his eyes to see Chiaki standing in front of him, glaring at Mondo, his fist half an inch away from her face. “No one hurts my classmates,” she said firmly. “Not even my classmates.”

Mondo glared at her. “Get outta my way. I ain’t gonna hit a chick, but Makoto and me have some business you’re interrupting.”

“No.”

Mondo stared at her in disbelief, then sighed. “Whatever. This ain’t worth gettin’ mad over.”

“Are you all done wasting time?” Kyoko asked, sounding exhausted.

“Right!” Taka nodded. “Everyone form groups to search! I will be going off on my own.”

“Wait, why?” Chiaki asked, confused.

Taka looked down, embarrassed. “Well… I’ve been told that I don’t exactly mesh well with other people. As such, I feel as though I would be less of a burden exploring by myself.”

“Y-yeah, g-go be annoying s-somewhere else,” Toko said.

Chiaki had to bite her tongue stop herself from saying something. _This class is insanely chaotic. If I don’t pick my battles I’m going to run out of HP really quickly._

“Hey, Chiaki!” Makoto waved her over to his group, which consisted of himself, Leon, Hiro, Junko, and Chihiro. “Wanna team up with us?”

Tempting. Chiaki didn’t get invited to do things with other people often. But… “It looks like your group has enough people already. I think it would be more efficient if I teamed up with someone else.”

“Oh, okay,” Makoto said. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Honestly, the only reason I chose this group is because they seemed the least likely to kill me.”

Chiaki laughed and nodded. “Okay, well… see you.”

As Makoto’s group left the gym, Chiaki noticed Toko, Celeste, and Hifumi milling around. _They don’t seem to be doing anything…_ “Hey,” Chiaki called. “Shouldn’t we start exploring?”

Toko gave her a suspicious look. “W-why do you want to join us? A-are you just here to make f-fun of me?” She snarled. “I k-knew it! S-stay away from me, freak!”

Celeste sighed. “You will never cease your annoying jabber, will you, Toko?”

“Hey!” Chiaki clapped her hands, drawing the group’s attention. “We need to stop bickering or we’ll never get anywhere.”

“But none of us know what we’re doing anyway,” Hifumi pointed out. “We’d probably never get anywhere even if we tried.”

Chiaki puffed out her cheeks in a frustrated pout. “Well, we won’t know until we try! Come on, let’s explore.”

“I’m hungry…” Hifumi mumbled.

Chiaki sighed. This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by Byakuya Togami comparing his classmates to ocean-dwelling microorganisms. (I don't know why but I've always found that comment fucking hilarious and I have no idea if it was out of character for Chiaki to point it out but even if it was damnit it was worth it.)


	3. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly the majority of this is just canon interactions rewritten to include Chiaki. Probably the most skippable chapter.

Makoto Naegi was not having a good day.

Between passing out, waking up in a classroom with the windows sealed shut with freaking iron plates, and being told that he and his classmates had to kill each other… it was a lot to take in.

At least he’d managed to make a few friends. Chiaki seemed nice, and he and Leon were getting along well so far. In a weird way, this crazy situation was actually helping him come to terms with being so average. He was in the same boat as the rest of his classmates – everyone was on the same page because no one knew what was going on. And, while he couldn’t say the same for the rest of his class, which was… eccentric, to say the least, Chiaki and the people he was grouped with now didn’t seem so different from him. If not for their talents, they’d be almost normal.

“Hey dorks!” Junko yelled. “Come on, we gotta check the windows!”

“Oh… sorry.” Makoto looked up from his conversation with Leon sheepishly. “But seriously, that’s crazy! I can’t believe we like all the same music!”

“I _know_ , right?” Leon said enthusiastically. “Hey, I’m thinkin’ of starting a band, actually. You play any instruments?”

“Um… not really.”

Leon shrugged. “You could always pick up drums. It’s just, like, hitting stuff with sticks. Can’t be too hard.”

 _There’s no way that’s true._ “Yeah, I guess. You got a name for your band?”

Junko rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable. I gotta do everything myself.” She marched over to the two of them, grabbed them both by the arm, and dragged them down the hallway.

“Woah!” Leon exclaimed. “Since when are you so strong??” He tried to pull his arm away and couldn’t.

“Oh…” Junko looked down, seeming almost embarrassed. “Yeah. A big part of being a model is having a good body. I do a lotta exercise and junk. Plus, I used to be homeless. Built up a good amount of muscle from my time on the streets, you know?”

“Oh, geez,” Makoto said. “That must’ve been rough. Sorry.”

She shook her head. “Nah, it’s fine. That part of my life… it’s behind me now.”

“Guys…” Chihiro said.

“Right, right. Windows.” Letting go of the two boys, she jogged over to one of the metal plates covering the windows and tugged.

It budged. Just a little bit, but it budged.

“Holy crap,” Hiro said. He ran up to it and pulled with all his might. It didn’t move. “Guys, help me out here?”

Chihiro, Makoto, and Leon joined him, pulling with all their strength. It still didn’t move, not even a little. Leon looked at Junko with disbelief. “How strong _are_ you, anyway?”

She shrugged. “I dunno, actually.” She pulled at the sheet again, but this time, nothing. “Ugh! Sorry, guys. First time must’ve been, like, a fluke or something. Well, whatever. Let’s check the other windows, okay?” She ran to the next window without another word.

 _That was… weird. Almost seemed like she was running away._ Makoto looked around. Nobody else seemed to notice. Hiro barely seemed present. Maybe he was imagining things. Shaking his head, he followed after Junko.

“So,” Makoto asked Junko a little while later. “What’s it like being a fashionista? A lot of pressure, I bet.”

Junko sighed. “You have _no idea._ It’s, like, crazy. I feel like… like I have to be a different person when I’m doing photoshoots and junk, you know? Like, I’m not even sure who I am anymore.”

“Oh.” Makoto nodded. “Well… if it helps, you seem really nice! And besides, we’re still in high school. You’ve got plenty of time to figure out who you are.”

Junko gave him a halfhearted smile. “Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Makoto.”  
For a brief moment, Makoto thought he saw something in her change. Like her whole upbeat diva persona was just a façade, and he was seeing through to her real face. Then she grinned, and the moment was gone. “So, tell me about you! What’s it like being the world’s most normal person?”

Makoto searched for the words. “It’s… it’s exactly as boring as it sounds.”

“Damn it!” Junko shouted, stamping her foot. “Nothing.”

It had been three hours judging by the clocks scattered throughout the school. They had tried every single window in the building. None of them had moved, not even a little.

“I guess we should meet back up in the cafeteria,” Leon said reluctantly.

Chihiro was starting to cry. “We’re never getting out of here…” she whimpered.

“Aw, hey.” Makoto put an arm around her. “It’s okay. This is just a little setback, all right? We’re getting out of here eventually. Sure, our first idea didn’t work. But if we just keep trying, we’ll be able to get out of here no problem!” He smiled at her, trying to pretend he wasn’t a little crushed by this too.

She wiped her eyes and smiled back. “Thanks. You’re… you’re really nice, Makoto.”

“Ah, well.” Makoto blushed. “I just like cheering people up, is all. I like being useful. Especially since I’m not really good for anything except emotional support.”

“Hey.” Chihiro looked at him seriously. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. I think you’re great.”

Makoto’s face was completely red. “Yeah… I think you’re great too, Chihiro.”

Junko coughed. “Uh, guys? Can we get going?”

“Oh. Oh, yeah, totally.”

Arriving in the dining hall, the first thing they noticed was Chiaki and Toko arguing. “G-go to hell, you s-stupid fake! Y-you don’t care about a-a-anyone but yourself!”

Chiaki sighed deeply. “Calm down, Toko. For the last time, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Meanwhile, Hifumi was sitting in a corner staring at the ground while Celeste was sitting back and gazing out on the scene before her. “It appears that things have become quite heated.”

“N-no shit!” Toko seemed to notice Makoto and the rest of his group. “Y-you! Bland p-protagonist boy! Tell this b-bitch that she c-can’t talk to me that way!”

“Woah, hey, what’s going on?” Makoto asked.

Chiaki put a hand to her forehead. “We spent the entire time in the gym. Toko got mad because she thought I implied her writing was bad, which I didn’t mean to do and apologized for many times. Hifumi has just been sitting around trying to conserve his energy, and Celeste…” She looked at her. “Celeste, what exactly have you been doing?”

“Observing,” Celeste said cheerfully.

“D-didn’t mean to insult me, p-please,” Toko snorted. “She s-said my books must be p-popular with t-teenage girls. I d-don’t write shallow YA stuff!”

“I only said that because you write romance! I was trying to compliment you because I thought you were popular with that demographic!”

“O-oh, so now you’re s-saying I’m unpopular??”

Celeste smiled. “They have been at this for three hours.”

“Everyone shut up!” Leon shouted. The room fell silent. “Okay, Makoto, you take it from here.”

“Huh?? Why me?”

“Just do it, man. I’m sure as hell not gonna make some inspiring speech.”

“Okay…” Makoto surveyed the situation. “Chiaki… not that I think you’re in the wrong here, but maybe think about the implications of what you’re saying before you say it?” He winced. “Did that sound condescending? You know what, doesn’t matter. Toko, you need to stop thinking everyone is out to get you. Chiaki might have used some poor phrasing, but she meant well. We like you and want to be your friend, but we can’t if you keep pushing everyone away.”

Toko’s lip quivered. “O-of course, you take your l-little _girlfriend’s_ side. Forget it! You – you – you all suck! Y-you’re a bunch of stupid shit-for-brains losers and I’d rather d-die than talk to any of you ever again!” She ran out of the room, still screaming.

Chiaki looked at Makoto, concerned. “Did I just make everything worse?”

Makoto shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been so mean to her.”

“I dunno, man,” Leon said. “You seemed pretty restrained to me, especially on account of that chick is totally crazy.”

“Let’s just wait for everyone else to show up,” Chiaki decided.

One by one, other students started to filter in. Hina and Sakura were laughing when they came in while Mondo hung back, looking awkward. Taka showed up alone, then Byakuya. Soon only Kyoko was left.

“You guys…” Hina said anxiously. “You don’t think… something happened to her, do you?”

Hiro waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, she’s fine. This whole thing is just some super elaborate prank anyway.”

“How long is the idiot going to keep saying that?” Celeste wondered.

“Hey!” Hiro looked wounded. “I’m not an idiot! Could an idiot be the Ultimate Clairvoyant?”

“Don’t answer that,” Chiaki warned. She shifted uncomfortably. “But yeah… I’m sure Kyoko’s fine.”

They stood in silence for what felt like hours. It felt wrong to start with someone missing… not knowing if someone was already dead.

“Hm. I see you’re all making good use of your time.”

“Kyoko!” Hina exclaimed.

“Where were you all this time?” Taka demanded. “We were worried sick!”

Wordlessly, Kyoko placed a map on the table. Everyone crowded around, staring at it. “It appears to be a map of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“Where did you find this?” Taka asked.

Kyoko looked away. “That hardly matters right now.

“What –” Taka spluttered. “Of course it matters! Do you have any idea how suspicious you’re acting??”

“Never mind that,” Junko said, peering over Makoto’s shoulder at the map. “What does it mean?”

Kyoko sighed. “Do I really have to explain this? The building we’re in right now has the exact layout of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“So… this really is Hope’s Peak,” Chiaki said numbly.

“In terms of construction, yes,” Kyoko agreed. “But it’s had a number of… renovations. I don’t know all the details; all I found was a map of the first floor.”

“We weren’t kidnapped and taken to somewhere else,” Chihiro said. “This… this really is Hope’s Peak.”

Mondo slammed a fist against the table. “So fuckin’ stupid it’s not even possible. _This_ is where the country’s future elite are supposed to come learn?”

Hiro laughed. “Come on, guys. Let’s stop talking about all this negative stuff. Why are you even worried? The people at Hope’s Peak obviously put this together for us.”

Chiaki fidgeted. “I’d like to believe that, but it just doesn’t seem very likely. Why would anyone do _this_?”

“I dunno, man! People are complicated. _Life_ is complicated. You can’t sweat the small stuff.”

“How the fuck does all this qualify as small?” Mondo asked furiously. “What, is this all some big joke to you?”

Hiro shrugged. “Well… yeah.”

“Heh.” Celeste giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Leon asked.

“I am simply amused. We have been doing all this yelling and carrying on, and yet the rest of us have yet to share our findings. Should we really be acting at all without having all the information?”

Kyoko nodded. “Excellent point, Celeste. Everyone, let’s all calm down and report our findings.”

Nobody’s investigation had been more fruitful than Makoto’s or Chiaki’s. It seemed that they each had a bedroom and enough food and supplies to last them months. Nobody had managed to find any clues that could help them escape. At one point during Makoto’s report, though, Kyoko looked up sharply. “What did you say?”

“Junko’s super strong!” he said enthusiastically. “She was able to drag me and Leon around no problem, and when she pulled on one of the iron plates, it actually _moved_.”

“Impossible,” Sakura said. “Not even I could budge one of those things.”

Junko flushed. “I mean, it’s, like, no big deal. It was probably just, like, a loose screw or something.”

Kyoko nodded. “Interesting. Continue.”

Apart from that, nothing of note had happened, and before too long the meeting had reached its natural conclusion. “So… what now?” Chihiro asked.

“We must adapt.”

Everyone turned to Celeste. “You agree with me, no?” she asked. “There is no way to escape without loss of life. Therefore, we must resign ourselves to remaining here for the long run.”

“But –”

“A lack of adaptability is a lack of survivability,” she continued. “Speaking of which, I would like to implement another rule. You all remember the rule regarding nighttime, correct? I believe going out at night should be prohibited altogether. This will allow us to sleep easily and should act as a preventative measure.”

“On behalf of all the men, I agree to comply!” Taka shouted.

“Can he just do that?” Makoto wondered.

“Yeah, I think I can agree to that,” Junko said, ignoring Makoto.

“So everyone is in agreement?” Celeste smiled. “Excellent. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to take a shower before nighttime arrives.” She strode off with practiced elegance and ease.

“Um –” Taka faltered. “Meeting adjourned! We’ll reconvene first thing tomorrow!”

As the crowd began to disperse, Makoto walked up to Chiaki. “Are you okay? I mean, after everything that happened with Toko…”

She smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for asking… although you should probably be asking Toko.”

“Yeah…” Makoto looked over his shoulder at the exit. “God, I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like being stuck in a group with her.”

“Give her a chance,” Chiaki admonished. “She’s just insecure… I think.”  
Makoto sighed. “Whatever you say. Wanna head back to the dorms?”

“Yeah.”

Chiaki collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. This whole situation… it was totally unreal. Like she’d been dropped into an insane video game that would be a lot of fun to play but absolute hell to live through.

 _It really is like a video game,_ she thought. _Like some kind of twisted escape room. Except instead of being a puzzle game like most, it’s survival._

She closed her eyes. _Would it be too much to ask for this to have been a dream? As endings go, it’s pretty lame. If I played a game with that ending I might throw out my Game Girl. But… I’d be pretty happy if this all could’ve been a dream._

She dozed off, images of killings and death and Junko Enoshima flashing through her head, far too deep in the back of her mind for her consciousness to reach.

Kamakura Theater

Junko Enoshima spun around in her chair gleefully. “Looks like your little pet project is already starting to succumb to the beauty of despair, Zuru!”

Izuru shook his head. “Ridiculous. Chiaki… she’s special. She never gave up hope, even as she was about to die. She wouldn’t fall into despair because of this sloppy excuse for a killing game.”

“Heh. You’re cute. Do you seriously believe that? Just look at her. She drove that stupid little writer girl away crying. Her so-called friendship with Makoto I’m-so-average Naegi is the only thing keeping her going, and they’ve known each other for, like, a day. He slips up one time, and it all falls down.” She smiled wickedly. “And when that happens… despair, despair, despair!” She leaned back in her chair, gripping her sides. “Oh, it’s going to be so beautiful!”

Izuru Kamakura looked at the screen where Junko was watching the students sleep. And smiled.

Because Junko had made a horrible, catastrophic oversight. And, if everything worked out in Izuru’s favor – which it always did – Chiaki Nanami wouldn’t be imprisoned for much longer.

“What the heck?? You totally screwed up these milkshakes!”

“Get him!”

Nagito Komaeda laughed as four elementary schoolers tackled him to the ground and started drawing on his face. It was all he could do, really. All he could do was fall into despair in the name of hope.

Something caught the corner of his eye. A TV screen. _That’s strange. I’m fairly certain it wasn’t on before. Then again, what does a nobody like me know?_

On the screen was something that looked like footage from various security cameras. He recognized some of the sleeping faces. They were his underclassmen at Hope’s Peak. _I’m so glad they’re okay! But… what is this, anyway?_

Then he noticed who was in the center of the screen and his heart stopped. A smile grew over his face, and for the first time since The Tragedy began, the despair went out of his eyes. Replaced with beautiful, shining hope.

“She’s alive…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is Mukuro stronger than Sakura when that makes literally no sense, you ask? Because plot convenience.  
> Also - the next chapter is going to include Free Time Events with Chiaki. I've already decided the first one is going to be with Makoto, but feel free to comment who you think she should interact with for the other two. (Keep in mind that these don't actually impact the plot; they're just bits of bonus dialogue and interactions.) In the event that nobody comments, which is likely because I have the writing skills of an ant on cocaine (I don't know what that means either but it feels accurate), I'm just going to randomize it. As always, don't forget to leave a hate comment and/or point out how none of my writing makes sense, which I know already but refuse to fix under the pretense of stylistic choices.


	4. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Toko slander  
> (Not really but that's definitely how it's going to be interpreted, so I'm apologizing in advance)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may get extremely mad at me while reading Toko's FTE. If so, scroll down to the end notes; those explain.  
> (I'm so sorry please don't kill me)

_Ding dong, bing bong._

Chiaki rubbed her eyes. For a moment, she let herself believe that she was back at home, in her own bed, having just had a terrible, confusing, upsetting nightmare. Then Monokuma’s obnoxious, familiar voice blared started blaring over the monitors, and she was forcibly yanked back into reality.

_I should find Makoto. He’s the only person in this place I really get along with, anyway._

She tried to tell herself it was the most logical move, but in reality, she was just overwhelmed. A wave of confusion and panic had hit her the moment she sat up in bed. She needed a friend to talk to, desperately.

Approaching Makoto’s room, she bumped into Sayaka. “Hey hey. Do you want to talk to Makoto about something?”

Sayaka blinked. “Yeah, I did, actually. We went to middle school together, you know, and I just…” She looked down. “I kind of needed a friend to talk to.”

“Oh.” Chiaki’s heart sank. “Well, you go ahead. I don’t really need to talk to him about anything urgent.” _How does she even look pretty when she’s sad?_

“Aww, it’s so sweet that you think I’m pretty!” Sayaka giggled.

Chiaki stared. “How –”

“I’m psychic.”

A few seconds passed.

“Kidding! I just have really good intuition.”

“Heh. Yeah, I kind of figured.”

The moment she turned her back, her smile dropped. Her mind was racing. Her fists clenched and released rapidly, aching for a game controller. _Right. We’re all supposed to meet up for breakfast._

Walking briskly to the dining hall with her head down, she almost ran headlong into Taka. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “Watch where you’re going!”

That was what did it. That was what tipped her over the edge. Chiaki looked up at him and wordlessly started to cry.

“Oh,” he said after a moment. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to –”

“No… no, it’s okay.” Chiaki shook her head, wiping her eyes. “It’s just… all this is kind of a lot. I was going to talk about it with Makoto but Sayaka wanted to talk to him and I wanted to tell her no but she’s this famous idol and super nice and she was already friends with Makoto so –” She caught herself and laughed shakily. “Sorry. You probably don’t want to hear about all that.”

Taka, meanwhile, was panicking almost as much as her. Social interaction had never really been in his skillset. Now there was a girl he’d just made cry standing in front of him and apologizing for something that wasn’t at all her fault, and he had absolutely no idea what to do. His foot started tapping against the ground, something he had been trying to eliminate for years but couldn’t. “I mean – that’s no excuse to not watch where you’re going – but –”

She laughed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” She tilted her head at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes! Absolutely! Why?”

“Well, your face is all screwed up, and you’re tapping your foot really fast.”

Oh. “I am so sorry! I’m not very good at making conversation. I didn’t quite know what to say, and I panicked. My apologies.” He looked down at his watch. “Ah! Once again, I’m terribly sorry, but we’re going to be late to the morning meeting if we don’t hurry up!” He spun around and strode briskly toward the dining hall.

Chiaki stood looking after him. A slow smile spread over her face when she realized her hands had slowed to a stop. “Hey, Taka!” She jogged up to him, and he pointed at her, shocked. “I know, no running in the hallways. I’m sorry. I just… I wanted to say thanks. I had a lot on my mind, and talking to you helped calm me down.”

He started. “What? I… I managed to help you by talking?”

“Yeah,” Chiaki affirmed.

Taka grinned. “Wow! My first ever successful high school conversation! Thank you, Chiaki!” A spring in his step, he continued walking into the dining hall.

“Hey!” Makoto ran up to her. “Sayaka said you wanted to talk?”

She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m fine now. Oh, I hope you got your conversation with her too.”

“Yeah. She just wanted to check up on me.” He smiled. “She’s really sweet. I had no idea she remembered me from middle school.”

“Hey, you guys!” Taka called from the dining hall. “If you don’t get in here this instant, I’m going to have to write you up as tardy!”

“He’s an odd guy, isn’t he?” Makoto said to Chiaki.

She smiled. “Yeah… but he’s nice.”

“Sorry, we are talking about the same person, right?”

“Makoto!”

“Okay, we should probably get to the dining hall.”

The morning meeting went by without incident. Nobody really had anything to say. They had searched every inch of the school.

There was one thing of note, though, that they didn’t realize until halfway through. Kyoko was the first one to notice. “Has anyone seen Toko?”

Byakuya sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. The little parasite has been following me around constantly.”

“I don’t get it,” Hiro said. “If she’s so into you, why isn’t she here?”

A wave of guilt overtook Chiaki. “This is my fault. I accidentally insulted her, and now she’s not showing up for breakfast.” Her hands started clenching again.

“Hey.” Makoto put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. And hey, if someone’s seen her around recently, which they have, it doesn’t really matter if she doesn’t show up.”

“What are you talking about?” Taka shouted. “Of course it matters! Attendance is a very important part of school life!”

“Dude,” Mondo said. “This ain’t a normal school. We don’t even have _classes._ The fuck does it matter if one chick decides not to show up?”

Taka grimaced. “Well, I’m still writing her up!”

After breakfast, Chiaki returned to her room and flopped down on her bed. She had some free time, and it wasn’t like she had anything to do… who should she talk to?

FREE TIME

MAKOTO

“Huh? Yeah, I can hang out for a bit.”

The two of them sat opposite each other in the dining hall. “So,” Makoto said. “What’s it like being the Ultimate Gamer?”

Chiaki thought about it. “It’s a lot of fun, mostly. I really like video games. They help me connect with the world.”

“Oh? How’s that?”

“Well… I’m not really good at social interaction. Games give me something to talk to people about, and they let the world make more sense to me. If there’s something I don’t understand, I can just look at it like it’s a video game, and then I get it. Like…” She tried to think of an example. “Like, if I’m just starting something new and worried I’m going to be terrible at it, I think of it as the tutorial level. That way I don’t have to worry too much about messing up, I just have to worry about figuring out the mechanics.”

“Huh.” Makoto nodded. “That’s a really smart way to think about things, actually. I should try that sometime!”

“Well, what about you? What’s it like being the Ultimate Lucky Student?”

Makoto shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. I mean, it’s not like it’s a real talent. I’ve never been all that lucky. I’m just an average kid who’s here by random chance and doesn’t really deserve it. Not like you guys.”

“Ah…” Chiaki held a hand to her head. Makoto leaned in, concerned.

“Are you okay?”

She held up her other hand. “I’m fine. Just…”

_Why does that sound so familiar?_

She frowned. She was certain she knew someone who saw themselves that way, like an outsider who didn’t belong at Hope’s Peak. But she’d only been at Hope’s Peak for a day, and she didn’t know anyone who’d gone there. “You keep reminding me of somebody, but I can’t remember who.”

Makoto sat back. “Huh. That’s kinda weird. I mean, I’m so normal that I share most of my traits with other people, so maybe that’s what it is?”

Chiaki shook her head. “That’s not it. It’s like… like when you somehow forget the name of your favorite character, or how to pull off a combo move you’ve done a million times. It’s there, but it’s stuck just out of reach.”

“Huh. Well, I’d be happy to help you remember.”

She tilted her head at him. “How would you do that?”

“Well…” Makoto thought about it. “Heh. I don’t know, actually. But I’ll think of something.”

Chiaki smiled at him. “Thanks. You’re really nice, Makoto.”

“Ah, it’s nothing.” Makoto turned away, blushing.

Chiaki stood up. “How about we meet up again when one of us figures something out? I’ll keep trying to remember on my own.”

“Sounds like a plan!” They shook on it. “Wow, this feels so official.”

“Heh. Yeah, it kinda does.”

Chiaki walked back to her room, smiling.

_Wow, the day’s up already._

_Today didn’t turn up anything. But… I won’t let that stop me. I’m going to find some way to get out of here! For me… and for everyone._

Kamakura Theater

“Ughhh!” Junko groaned. “This is so boring! Watching Chiaki get all Kumbaya with everyone… makes me sick.”

“Just as I told you,” Izuru said, almost smugly. “How do you think Chiaki got so close to her classmates during her normal school life? She inspires hope in everyone she interacts with.”

“Whatever. In fact…” She smiled. “Yes. This will just make it all the better when she’s the first to die. Which she will be, because the first motive… it’ll send little miss Mary Sue spiraling. She won’t be able to resist the sweet call of despair!”

Izuru wasn’t worried about that. If he knew Chiaki (and, just from their brief interactions, he did – he was the Ultimate Analyst, after all), she would be able to hold up against whatever Junko had in mind for her.

“Oops, did I spoil the plot?” Junko continued. “Boo-hoo, let me play a sarcastic saxophone for you.” She spun around, pointing a finger at Izuru. “Make no mistake – that bitch is gonna slip up, and soon. And when she does, everyone will fall that much deeper into – are you _texting_?”

He was. He had already gotten bored of their conversation.

“Hey hey, soul sister!” Ibuki Mioda popped into the dressing room with her usual lack of grace.

“Ugh, what do you want now, you trashy skank?” Hiyoko Saionji asked, brushing her perfectly straight hair. “We’ve got another little ‘performance’ in half an hour, you know.”

“Yeah, about that. Remember how we all gave into despair ‘cause Chiaki died?”

Hiyoko grimaced. She remembered all too well. “Ugh, why would you even bring that up, you useless whore?” She stamped her foot. “God, it’s not even fun to bully you ‘cause nothing sticks!”

“Yeah, I know, I’m awesome. But dude, check your phone!”

Hiyoko grabbed her phone off the counter. “Izuru…?”

“It’s a group text,” she said excitedly. “Read it!”

Her heart stopped. “‘Chiaki is alive’? No fucking way. This is some cruel joke to plunge us all deeper into despair.”

“Yeah, but look what else it says. ‘Turn on the TV’. There’s gotta be some proof there!”

There was a small TV in the corner of the room. Ibuki grabbed the remote and turned it on. When they saw who was on it their jaws dropped.

“No way,” Ibuki whispered. “No motherfreakin’ way. I mean – I didn’t think –” They could feel a spark returning to their eyes – and clarity returning to their minds. The dark cloud of despair overtaking them was pushed back for just a moment, enough for them to realize –

“Oh God,” Hiyoko said shakily. “What have we done?”

_Ding dong, bing bong._

Chiaki yawned. It was hard to believe the previous day had gone by so quickly when the one before had been the longest day of her life. _So tired… but no. Gotta get up and face the day._

_Then again, it’s not like there’s that much to do… who should I talk to today?_

FREE TIME

JUNKO

“Oh, you want to hang out? Yeah, totally.”

Junko sat back at the table in the laundry room, flipping through a magazine. “What are you reading?” Chiaki asked.

Junko looked up almost guiltily. “Oh, this is one of the issues I modeled for. I know it’s, like, totally shallow to read your own stuff, but… it helps, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Um –” Junko stammered. “Like, sometimes… I forget who I’m supposed to be. I’ve gotta keep up this act all the time. Reading my old stuff helps my confidence. Like, I did this before. I can do it again.”

“Huh.” Chiaki nodded. “Yeah, I’m kind of the same way. When I’m stuck on a new game – like, I can’t solve a puzzle or beat someone’s high score – it helps me to go back to something I know I’m good at.” She smiled. “Although I guess that’s not the only reason. Replaying old games feels like visiting old friends. It’s nice.”

Junko twirled one of her pigtails. “Yeah, people say that a lot about, like, their favorite books or movies. I never really got that. I’m not too into pop culture or anything.”

“Huh?” Chiaki tilted her head. “But you’re a fashionista. I would’ve thought you’d make an effort to keep up with current trends. Not that it’s bad that you don’t – I actually think that’s kind of cool.”

Junko shrugged. “Of course I keep up with fashion and junk, but movies, books… that kinda stuff has never really interested me. I’m more into sports and stuff.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“Yeah…” Junko got a distant look in her eye. “People make a lot of assumptions about me. ‘Cause I’m a model, you know? I’m supposed to be all girly and fun, but that’s never really been me.”

“People assume I live in a basement and live on ramen,” Chiaki admitted.

“Heh. Well then.” Junko held up an imaginary glass. “Here’s to being misunderstood.”

Chiaki held up a glass of her own and _clink_ ed it against Junko’s. “To being misunderstood.”

_Hanging out with Junko was surprisingly fun, but I should probably head back to my room now._

_There’s still time left in the day… what should I do now?_

FREE TIME

TOKO

“W-what do you want? Ugh… the o-only reason I’m saying y-yes is because I’ve got n-nothing better to do.”

Chiaki and Toko sat opposite each other in an empty classroom. Toko was pointedly looking away. Occasionally Chiaki would try to start a conversation, but she’d invariably get snapped at.

It was awkward.

Finally, she managed to start a conversation with, “Do you get inspiration for your novels from real life?”

Toko snorted. “N-no. Are you k-k-kidding? N-nobody would ever w-want to date m-me. I’m h-hideous.”

“That’s ridiculous! I think you’re beautiful.”

“You s-s-shut your mouth!” Toko snarled. “Life must be s-soooo easy for you ‘c-cause you’re all s-short and cute. ‘L-look at me, I’m Chiaki. I’m s-so innocent and sweet and you j-just want to give me a hug because I’m so p-p-pretty’. You don’t g-get to go around m-mocking me!”

Chiaki’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you complimenting me or insulting me? I’m not being sarcastic; I honestly can’t tell.”

“I-insulting, obviously!” Toko yelled. “And you would know that if you weren’t r-r-re-”

Chiaki stood up before Toko could finish. “Okay. This conversation is over.”

Just as she reached the door – “Chiaki, w-wait!”

She turned around with a sigh. “If you finish that last word, as God is my witness, I will drag Mondo in here and tell him you said his hair looked like a Frito.”

Toko smirked. “P-please. He would never hit a g-girl.” She looked down. “B-but… I was out of line, okay? I w-went too far. I’m…” She swallowed. “I’m s-sorry, okay?? Is that what you’re f-fishing for?”

Chiaki was silent.

Toko rolled her eyes. “O-oh, the silent treatment. R-r-real mature.”

“Did you know I’m actually on the autism spectrum?” Chiaki asked.

Toko squinted at her. “ _W-what_?”

She nodded. “I know what you were about to call me, and you should know that it’s considered a slur and extremely offensive. And I know that because I was called it more than once in middle school.”

Toko stared. “What, s-so I was supposed to k-know that?” She looked down. “G-great, now I feel like a h-horrible person.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Toko looked up. “A-are you just saying things to c-confuse me now?”

Chiaki smiled. “You apologized. You realized what you said was wrong and you owned up to it. That doesn’t excuse the fact that you said it, but it makes it a little better.”

“W-whatever.”

“So,” Chiaki said, sitting back down. “Is there anything else you want to talk about.”

Toko blinked. “R-really?”

“Yeah,” she said. “We’re hanging out, right?”

“Y-you’re not mad at me?”

“Oh, I’m livid. But you apologized, and I forgive you. We were talking about your books, right?”

_Once we got the ugly stuff out of the way, talking with Toko was actually pretty fun. But it’s almost nighttime; I should head back to my room._

_We might not have found anything today, either… but I’m not giving up._

_I’m going to save my classmates. No matter what it takes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, I can already tell a lot of people are about to hate me.  
> First off, to all you Toko stans: I don't hate Toko. In fact, I quite like her as a character. So why did I write her as kind of a horrible person in her FTE, you ask?  
> Would you believe demonic possession?  
> Okay, real answer: it just felt in character for her. She says some horrible things in canon, too, and this time she just happened to go too far. I also felt it would be good character growth for her to actually apologize for something, and the only way for that to work would be for her to say something so bad even she couldn't excuse it. Maybe it wasn't in character and I'm just a bad writer, and if you think that I respect your opinion, but I personally believe it's what she would do in that situation.  
> Also, to anyone who thinks that section came off as kind of preachy and lame: I did too. But I didn't change it, because, for one thing, I feel like that's how Chiaki would call her out, and for another, I'm an autistic person myself, and I felt like some of that stuff just needed to be said to make the situation more okay.  
> You may also have noticed a large amount of Taka in this chapter. I'm not apologizing for that. I love him, he is like a son to me, which is weird because we're about the same age but whatever, and he and Chiaki being Neurodivergent Bros™ gives me life.  
> In conclusion, I am a mess, this story is a mess, and you can feel free to retract any kudos you may have given and leave a hate comment.


	5. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Four

_Ding dong, bing bong._

It had only been a few days but that sound was already starting to get seriously annoying.

Chiaki sighed, pulling herself out of bed. Spending time with her classmates had definitely helped her cope with being stuck in the school, but it was still a lot to process. _I could use an extra hour of sleep… or five…_

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the sound of a doorbell echoed through her room. Rubbing her eyes, she walked over to answer it.

The moment she opened the door, Taka was shouting at her. “A fantastic morning, isn’t it?!”  
“Hey, Taka. What is it?”

“If you’ll pardon the interruption –” Taka marched into her room before Chiaki could object. “Now then!” He puffed out his chest. “No matter how intensely the stormy seas may batter me, I will not fall as long as my feet are – CHIAKI!”

“Wuzzat?” Chiaki looked up sharply. She had fallen asleep.

Taka sighed. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. My point is, from now on, we will all meet up in the mornings after the announcement and eat breakfast together!”

Chiaki blinked slowly at him. “I think I caught the tail end of that. What did you say about breakfast?”

Taka shook his head. “No… this is all wrong! My speech isn’t having the intended effect at all!” Tears started to form in his eyes. “I’m such a failure…”

“Hey.” Chiaki’s protective instincts took precedence over her exhaustion. “It’s fine, really. It’s not your fault I can’t pay attention. I’m just really tired, and may or may not have narcolepsy.” She patted him on the arm. “So, we’re all going to meet up in the mornings for breakfast? Is that it?”

Taka brightened. “My message was communicated successfully! Wonderful! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go tell the others!” He walked out of her room, carefully closing the door behind him.

_Well… I guess I should head to the dining hall._

“Okay, looks like everyone’s here!” Taka shouted. “Now then, let’s begin!”

“Hey Toko,” Chiaki whispered as Taka continued speaking. Toko whipped around.

“What do y-you want, you s-stupid slut? Hey… hey, Chiaki, a-are you even listening?”

Chiaki blinked. She had fallen asleep again. “Sorry, what was that?”

Toko let out a low growl. “Y-you know exactly what I s-said. You keep t-trying to be my f-friend, but I k-know better! I just know you’re waiting to s-stab me in the b-back!”

“No, I just wanted to apologize for accidentally calling you a bad writer the other day. I really didn’t mean to upset you.”

“J-just shut up,” Toko muttered. “You’re w-wasting your time t-trying to lie to me.”

Chiaki was about to argue, but Makoto shook his head at her. As much as she hated to admit it, he was probably right. There was no point in trying to talk to her when she was acting like this.

“U-um…” Chihiro was speaking. “If you think in terms of people who are abnormal or bizarre… do you think the person responsible for all this could be… you know… Genocide Jack?”

Toko tensed up.

“Oh!” Chiaki said. “I’m familiar with him! He’s famous all over the internet. People say he’s killed thousands.”

“No way,” Junko said, although she didn’t sound certain. “That’s just, like, an urban legend, right? Even like ten people would be totally insane.”

“Anyway,” Chihiro continued. “Whoever he is… he’s obviously some super crazy killer.”

Mondo nodded. “Yeah, if he really is this ‘ultimate’ psycho, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with somethin’ like this.”

Chihiro swallowed. “Well, it’s not like I have any evidence… it’s just a hunch.”

Silence fell over the dining hall as they considered the implications of Chihiro’s hunch. “Well,” Leon said. “That’s one hell of a problem for us, then.”

Hina shook her head. “It’s okay! It’s all absolutely, positively, 100% gonna be okay! ‘Cause help is gonna be here soon, I’m sure of it!”

The tension started to dissipate. “Yeah!” Hina continued. “I mean, nobody’s been able to contact us, and it’s been days. I bet they called the police already!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

 _Just as we were starting to relax…_ Monokuma popped into the dining hall. “Come on, you’re seriously putting your faith in the _police_? All they’re good for is playing against a villain or antihero or evil organization. You really wanna rely on such an unreliable group of losers?” He winked. “If you _really_ wanna get out of here, just kill somebody!”

Hiro rolled his eyes. “Okay, you can drop the act now. This is starting to get old.”

Monokuma sighed. “When are you kids gonna accept reality? You have to kill each other, or you’re gonna be stuck here forever!” He started to pace. “A couple have days have gone by already, and nobody’s killing anybody! Geez, I thought all teenagers were lazy and selfish! But no! Here you are working together, and I’m bored bored BORED!” He stopped abruptly, then put a hand to his head like he’d just had an epiphany. “Wait… I know! Of course! All you need is a proper motive!”

“The fuck are you talking about?” Mondo demanded.

Ignoring him, Monokuma continued. “By the by, I’ve got a video you all should see – a video showing you what’s going on outside the school! Just head on down to the AV room and pop it in!”

Kyoko nodded. “Excellent. So we can go watch it right now.” She paused. “But before we do… I’d like to know one thing. What do you want from us?”

His answer was simple. So simple that it sent a chill down Chiaki’s spine.

“Despair. That’s all.”

Nobody could think of anything to say to that.

“Well, if you wanna know more, just do your best to uncover the mystery of this school! I’m not going to stop you. Because frankly, watching all you kiddos scamper around in search of the truth is just so entertaining!”

And with that, he disappeared.

“Well, that settles one thing,” Kyoko said.

“Really?” Sayaka asked. “I couldn’t figure out anything from that.”

Kyoko smiled. “He has no intention of standing in the way of our pursuit of the truth. That’s very interesting…”

“Should we watch that video now?” Makoto asked.

Mondo clapped his hands. “Great idea, buddy! Why don’t you go down and check that out?”

“Why me??”

“I mean… it _was_ your idea, man.”

“Is it okay if I go with him?” Chiaki asked. “Walking around alone seems dangerous.”

Mondo shrugged. “I ain’t in charge of you. Knock yourself out.”

“Right.” Makoto smiled gratefully at Chiaki. “Let’s get going, then.”

The two of them walked to the AV room in silence. “So hey,” Chiaki said once they reached the door. “If the video is anything really bad… promise you won’t freak out?”

“You mean, if it’s like, some gross adult video? I think I can handle that.”

Chiaki laughed in spite of herself. “No… I mean, if the outside world has gone to hell or he’s taken our families hostage, or something. Promise you’ll keep it together.” She put a hand on his arm. “In games like this, it’s usually this type of thing that shoves people over the edge. We can’t let that happen to us.”

Makoto nodded firmly. “I promise.”

They opened the door.

Beyond it was nothing too dramatic. Just a cardboard box filled with… “DVDs?”

“Hey, check it out.” Makoto picked up one of them. “This one’s got your name, Chiaki.”

“Yeah… it looks like there’s one here for each of us.”

“Great.” Makoto nodded. “I’ll go tell everyone, okay?”

Chiaki nodded back, staring down at her DVD. _I should probably wait until everyone else gets here to play this… but… if I just take a look…_

She sat down in front of a monitor and slid her DVD into the expensive-looking Blu-Ray player. And then…

A boy appeared on her screen. A plain-looking, brown-haired boy in a school uniform. “Hey, Chiaki. Hajime here… heh, I guess I didn’t need to say that, huh? Anyway, how are things going? I’m…” He swallowed. “I think I’m gonna do it. I’m going to go through with this… this really crazy thing. And, well… I might never see you again, so I just wanted to record this so… so we could say goodbye.” He laughed and wiped his eyes. “Damn, this is really hard. Anyway, bye!”

Monokuma’s voice began blaring over the video. “Hajime Hinata, Chiaki Nanami’s bestest friend in the whole wide world. A person she has tragically forgotten about. He’s going to go through with something terrible.” Images flashed on the screen. Images of blood, of bodies lying askew on the ground, of a man with long, dark hair standing over them, his face blank. “But what is it? What could’ve possibly happened to poor little Hajime? And just who is Hajime, anyway?”

Text flashed across the screen. _Look for the answer after graduation!_

The screen went dark, and Chiaki screamed.

Makoto came running. “What’s wrong, Chiaki? Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her head was splitting. _Hajime – Izuru – Hajime – he disappeared – I was dying – he saved me – Hajime –_

_What am I thinking? I have no idea who that guy was._

_Yes I do. That was Hajime._

_No, that was Izuru._

_No, that was a stranger._

_No, that was Hajime._

Her vision started to swim. She could hear Makoto calling her name, but just barely. His voice started to cut out, and then –

Makoto stood over Chiaki’s limp body.

Kamakura Theater

“HA!” Junko spun around in her chair to face Izuru. “See! I TOLD ya the little bitch would snap!”

Izuru wasn’t listening. He was staring at the screen. _No… Chiaki…_

_Chiaki, please be okay._

_You have to._

“All right, quiet down, everybody!”

Mahiru Koizumi stood at the front of the room, tapping a whiteboard. (It didn’t have anything on it, but it felt more official to have a whiteboard than to not.) She and Byakuya had been appointed the leaders of the group in Izuru’s absence. “Now, if the broadcast is to be believed, Chiaki is alive. But she’s in danger.” She slammed a fist down on the table in front of her. “We have got to band together and get her out of Hope’s Peak.”

Nagito, bruised and bloody after his escape from Towa City, raised a hand. “With all due respect to everyone here – ah, I don’t know if a piece of human garbage like me should even be saying this, you’re all so superior to me, I don’t have a right to –”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Nagito, go ahead.”

“Right.” He nodded. “How exactly are we going to do that? This is Junko Enoshima we’re talking about. She built an elaborate death maze that must’ve taken months in order to kill one person and somehow didn’t get caught during its construction.”

Murmurs of assent filled the room.

“Oh, come on, you guys!” Mahiru said, exasperated. “We can do this! We’re fifteen –” She glanced at Mikan’s empty seat. “– fourteen Ultimates going up against one. With our talents combined, we can pull this off!”

“Yeah!” Hiyoko cheered from her spot beside Mahiru, then glared at the rest of the room. “You guys better not disagree with Mahiru, okay? ‘Cause if you do I’ll rip your throats out and feed them to Ibuki.”

“Ha-ha!” Ibuki cackled. “I’d happily eat all of your throats!”

“Thank you, Hiyoko. Now, I know things might seem pretty bleak right now. But we can get through it. We have to. For Chiaki. Now come on. Brainstorming session. What are we going to do?”

“Uh, guys?” Nagito glanced at the TV. “We might want to act sooner rather than later. Because it looks like we might already be too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the relatively slow chapter. Parts 4 and 5 were originally going to be condensed into one part, but it was getting a little long and cliffhangers are more fun anyway.  
> Wow, a whole chapter went by without an obnoxiously long notes section? So unlike me.


	6. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to me abusing the hell out of ellipses!  
> Yeah, I don't actually have anything to say about this chapter, but it felt weird not to have a notes section, so here, have this completely unnecessary paragraph.

Sakura gently lay Chiaki down in a cot in the nurse’s office. “What happened to her, exactly?”

Makoto shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. She was fine when I left. Then I heard her scream and came running back, and she was like… this.”

Chiaki lay motionless on the bed.

“Hey, Makoto?” He felt Sayaka tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to see her clutching her sides and shaking. “I – I know you’re in the middle of all this, but… can we talk?”

As much as Makoto’s mind was preoccupied with Chiaki, Sayaka looked so shaken that he couldn’t say no. “Sure.”

“Mind if we go someplace private? No? Good.” Without waiting for a reply, Sayaka grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off.

Once they were out in the hallway, Sayaka stopped, staring down at the floor. “What’s wrong?” Makoto asked.

“I…” Her voice was small. “I watched my video.”

“Oh.” Makoto hadn’t had time to watch his yet with everything that had happened with Chiaki, but he could only assume the videos contained nothing good. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head.

“Okay…” Makoto shifted on his feet awkwardly. “Well… I’m here if you want to talk about it, okay?”

Sayaka pulled him into a hug. “Thank you, Makoto. I… I wish we’d hung out in middle school. You’re really nice.”

“Oh, uh – thanks.” Makoto could feel himself blushing. “So, do you want to talk about it?”

“Honestly, I don’t really want to think about it right now.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Is it…” She looked around self-consciously. “Is it okay if we just stand here for a little while?” She buried her face in his shoulder. “Heh… this is gonna sound weird, but… you’re really warm…”

“Yeah.” He patted her on the shoulder. “We can stay here as long as you want.”

Standing there in Makoto’s arms, Sayaka knew one thing.

She had to escape. She had to make sure her friends were okay.

No matter what it took.

No matter who she had to kill.

Hajime…

_She is in a void. A void of despair._

_Junko Enoshima is laughing._

_She remembers now. She remembers everything. She remembers how her classmates had watched her die. She remembers being shoved into this killing game. She remembers Hajime – Izuru – standing over her, tears flowing down his face._

Hajime is gone.

_The words cut through her like a knife. The boy she cares about so much – the boy she might have even started to love – is gone._

_What is there left to do but sink into despair?_

_She closes her eyes, and then…_

_She sees the smiling faces of her classmates. She sees her very first day at Hope’s Peak. She sees the day she was chosen to be class representative._

_But most of all, she sees Hajime._

He’s still in there somewhere. You can see him again. You can see them all again. You just have to survive.

_The void glows white, and –_

Chiaki opened her eyes to see Taka and Makoto staring at her.

“Chiaki!” Makoto shouted. “Thank God you’re all right!”

She rubbed her eyes. “Where… where am I?”

“After you fainted, Monokuma opened up the nurse’s office,” Taka explained. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind explaining your behavior?”

Chiaki tried to think back. She had picked up the DVD with her name on it, she had slid it into the DVD player, and –

_Hajime…_

She smiled. She couldn’t explain why. She didn’t remember what was on her video. She didn’t remember why she was so happy.

But she remembered a smile. A smile that filled her with hope, that carried her out of the darkness. A smile that reassured her that everything was going to be fine.

“I’m not sure what happened. But I’m okay now.” She looked around. “So, what happened while I was out?”

Makoto and Taka exchanged a glance. “Well…” Makoto said uncomfortably. “Everyone else watched their videos. And… well…” Tears started to glisten in his eyes. “I think my family might be in danger.”

Taka nodded. “Yes, that was the case for me as well.”

“Oh.” Chiaki’s inexplicable good mood dissipated, and a wave of guilt washed over her. “I’m so sorry. I promised I would keep it together and totally didn’t. Meanwhile you guys were all managing to deal with your videos on your own. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Makoto assured her. “But, well… some other people aren’t doing so great. Toko ran off screaming, and I think Hina tried to go after her, so she’s not making it out of that alive.” Chiaki snorted. “Sorry. Bad joke. Um… actually, everyone else is holding up pretty well. Sakura and Kyoko seem fine, and Sayaka is doing a lot better.”

Chiaki stood up shakily. “I should probably go let everyone know I’m all right.”

“Are you sure?” Makoto asked. “You can take your time if you need to. You must be pretty shaken.” He shuffled his feet. “And… well, I don’t want to be rude, but… you smell kinda weird. Did you…”

“What?? No!” She looked down. “I just haven’t… showered since I got here.”

“That is completely unacceptable!” Taka shouted. “Hygiene is one of the basic principles of building a constructive school life!”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It’s just… we don’t have bathtubs here, so the only option is to shower, and showering feels like a bunch of daggers hitting my skin.”

“Of course it does, but that’s no excuse!” Taka said. “Even if every moment of it is agony, we’ve got no choice to push forward and persevere through it!”

Makoto, meanwhile, was staring at them. “Uh… showering isn’t supposed to feel like that. Are you guys… okay?”

“Sensory issues,” Chiaki explained. “Autism.” She turned to Taka. “You too, right?”

Taka nodded, smiling. “It’s wonderful to know I’m not the only neurodivergent person here!”

“Yeah,” Chiaki agreed. “Up top.” She held up her hand.

Taka screwed up his face in confusion. “Is that a gang sign of some sort?”

“Oh, man,” Makoto said as Chiaki demonstrated how to do a high-five, “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Chiaki assured him. “You didn’t know. And seriously, I should probably go check in on everyone.

Walking out of the nurse’s office, she was met with a sea of concerned faces. “Hey… you okay?” Mondo asked.

“Yeah, I’m good. Sorry about all that. I don’t know what happened to me, but I’m fine now. How are you guys doing?”

“Uh, pretty crappy,” Junko said. “What are we gonna do about those videos?”

“Yeah,” Hifumi said. “If we’re not careful, somebody might kill to make sure they’re not true!”

“I won’t let that happen.”

The group stared at Chiaki. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Byakuya asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I do know one thing. You’re all my classmates, and even if we don’t know each other very well, I care about you, and I don’t want you to die. So I’m not gonna let you.”

Her voice was so determined that not even Byakuya could argue with her.

“Um…” Sayaka pushed her way forward through the crowd. “If you don’t mind me asking… what was on your video?”

Chiaki shook her head. “I’m not sure. I don’t remember what was on it. But…” She smiled. “I do know that no matter what, we can’t lose hope. We need to stay together, rely on each other, and do our best not to play into Monokuma’s game!” She pumped her fist in the air, uncharacteristically energetic.

“Yeah…” Leon said. “Yeah, you’re right! He probably faked those dumb videos anyway.”

Chihiro smiled. “Yes… there’s no way all that could be true.”

At that moment, Hina stormed into the room. “Unbelievable! All I did was try to help her and she nearly bit my head off!”

“Toko?” Chiaki guessed. Hina nodded. “Yeah, she does that. You probably shouldn’t take it personally.”

Hina gritted her teeth. She was beginning to cry. “Yeah, but… she said some _really_ personal things! You can’t just talk about people you’ve never met like that! Especially not when his life might be on the line!”

“Hina,” Sakura asked gently, “are you referring to your motive video?”

Hina wiped her eyes furiously. It didn’t help. “Just leave me alone!” Sakura stepped back, and Hina’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it, I just… I just need some time alone, okay?” Without waiting for a response, she ran out of the room.

“What’s going on?” Makoto asked, stepping out of the nurse’s office. “I heard some of that… is Hina okay?”

Byakuya snorted. “Far from it. If the little fool can’t keep herself from getting so worked up, she’s certainly going to be the first to die.”

Junko whipped around to face him. “Seriously. Dude. You’ve got to chill out and stop insulting everybody. We’re trying to work with you here! God, it’s like you don’t even want to survive!”

“Oh, I want to survive,” he said coldly. “And I will. I’ll outlast all of you, win this game, and escape.”

“Byakuya, we want to help you,” Chiaki said gently. “But we can’t do that if you keep pushing everyone away. You have to let us help you, so we can all survive.”

“Why would I do that? I am Byakuya Togami. Victory is in my blood. I’m destined to overcome everything in my path, and defeat every last one of you.”

With that, he strode off.

“Practically turns arrogance into an art form, don’t he,” Mondo muttered.

Taka burst out of the nurse’s office. “Everyone! It is approaching nighttime! I suggest you all return to your rooms!”

Chiaki looked at Makoto. “Okay, well… see you tomorrow.”

He smiled. “Yeah, totally.”

As Makoto lay down in bed and closed his eyes, the doorbell rang. Yawning, he got up and answered it. “Sayaka?”

“Hey.” She looked deeply shaken. “Do you mind if we switch rooms for tonight?”

Chiaki stared down at her body.

She had finally forced herself to endure a shower, and while she had been too focused on the pain to notice, the moment she stepped out, she saw something she was certain hadn’t been there before. Scars, all over her body.

Images of traps and pitfalls, of spears flying out of nowhere, sticking through her body. _It hurts… I’m dying… Hajime…_

The memories were gone, leaving her confused, shaken, and alone.

Leaving the bathroom, she noticed a piece of paper had been slipped under her door. _A note?_ She examined it. “I know it’s the middle of the night, but I really need someone to talk to,” she read aloud. “And I know we aren’t very close, but I feel like I can rely on you. Come see me in my room in five minutes. Check the nameplates to be sure you don’t get the wrong door, okay? From Sayaka…”

That woke her up. If her classmate was depending on her, she couldn’t let her down. It was against the rules to go out at night, but then again, it wasn’t like Celeste could actually enforce that rule.

Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?


	7. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter; next one will be longer, I promise.

Five minutes later, Sayaka’s doorbell rang.

She took a deep breath. She could do this. Chiaki was smaller than her and probably weaker. Just one clean swing would be all it took.

_I’m sorry, Chiaki. I know you’re doing your best to save everyone, but… I can’t afford to be stuck in here. I need to make sure my friends are okay._

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

It only took a millisecond after she saw the knife for Chiaki to react. She spun out of the way, and as Sayaka swung the knife into the air, she stumbled out into the hallway, off balance. The hairs on the back of Chiaki’s neck stood on end. _I’ve done this before,_ she thought frantically. _Not this exactly, but dodging knives seems familiar._ Which, of course, didn’t make any sense at all.

She got into a fighting stance, bracing herself for another attack. It didn’t come. Instead, Sayaka just stood there, panting, staring down at the knife in her hand.

“I…” she started, then broke down crying. “I can’t do it! I’m so sorry!”

She expected Chiaki to run away, or at least go back to her room. Instead, she smiled gently. “It’s okay. Do you still have something you want to talk to me about?”

Sayaka stared. “You… you’re not mad at me?”

“Jury’s out,” Chiaki admitted. “Maybe if you explain yourself…?”

Sayaka nodded, gesturing Chiaki to follow her into her room.

The moment Chiaki turned her back to her, every impulse in Sayaka’s body started screaming at her to plunge the knife into the girl. Her hand began to shake.

“Alright,” Chiaki said, “why don’t we just put that down over here?” Sayaka nodded, placing the knife on her desk and sitting down on her bed. Chiaki followed. “So… what made you want to kill me?”

“It was simple, really. You’re the kindest one of the group, and also one of the smallest. You’d be easy to both lure to my room and physically overpower. I was going to go with Leon for a while, but –”

“Yeah, no, I’m not talking about me specifically. Why did you want to kill someone?”

“Well…” Sayaka took a deep breath in. “Let’s take a walk. I need to show you something.”

The screen went dark, and Sayaka looked over at Chiaki. Her face was unreadable. “That was your motive video?” she asked. Sayaka nodded. “Wow. I… I had no idea everyone else’s was so bad. It’s probably lucky I don’t remember mine, huh?”

“Yeah. So you understand now, right? My group… they mean everything to me. I needed to make sure they were okay.”

“Hey. Look at me.” Chiaki took Sayaka’s hands in hers. “You’re going to see your group again. I’m going to get everybody out of here if it kills me.”

Sayaka nodded. “Why do you care so much, Chiaki? You only just met us, and you’re constantly putting your life on the line to help us.”

“I guess… well, there’s no way to put it that makes sense, really. I don’t understand it myself. But… there are these weird, fractured memories I have, of, like, an alternate reality or something. And in that reality, I think I was class rep. I guess because of that, it’s just instinctual for me to want to protect my classmates.” She smiled. “Yeah, that probably made me sound crazy. But it’s the truth. And… I like all of you. You seem like really good people.”

Sayaka dove into her arms. “Thank you,” she sobbed. “Thank you so much for caring. I can’t believe I almost…”

Chiaki held her close. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “Everything’s okay.”

Kamakura Theater

“NO!” Junko screamed, banging her fists against the desk. “NO, NO, NO! This isn’t how it’s supposed to go AT ALL!” She leaned into the monitor, staring intently at Chiaki Nanami’s sleeping form. “What the fuck _are_ you?”

Izuru smirked. “Looks as though your motive was a failure.” As relieved as he was, he tried to play it cool. “How predictable.”

“Oh, _please,_ ” Junko said with a wicked smile, having calmed down in an instant. “Even if despair didn’t take her and Sayaka didn’t kill her… somebody’s gonna make the first move. So what if it’s not Sayaka? In fact…” She stared hungrily at one monitor showing a student’s room. “Somebody’s making their move right now.”

“Alright!” Mahiru clapped her hands. “What do we have so far?”

Byakuya sighed. “It appears that we have the word ‘PLAN’ written in block letters on the whiteboard and circled multiple times, Akane showing Ibuki how to do a handstand, and several pages of doodles depicting Mikan Tsumiki with her head cut off.”

“That was my contribution!” Hiyoko said proudly.

Mahiru dropped the groceries she’d just gotten back from looting. “Seriously, guys? I was gone for two hours and _this_ is the best you can do?” She turned to Byakuya. “Them I understand, but what have _you_ been doing all this time, mister?”

Byakuya shook his head. “Face it, Mahiru. With this group and this intense of an operation, there’s simply no way we can accomplish our goal before Chiaki either escapes on her own or dies.”

“No!” Mahiru yelled.

The room fell silent. Surprised that she’d been able to garner everyone’s attention, Mahiru continued. “Chiaki is our friend. We fell so deep into despair all because we couldn’t save her. Now is our chance to make up for that. Now is our chance to finally do something right and rescue the one person in this effed-up group that’s actually _innocent_. The fact is, we don’t deserve to be here, and she does. The very least we can do is try to bring her back.”

Everything went quiet again.

“Damn,” Ibuki said. “That was hella inspiring!”

“Now,” Mahiru continued. “We don’t seem to have any sort of plan. So let’s make one.” She surveyed the group. “Byakuya, Kazuichi, Sonia, Gundham, Fuyuhiko, Peko, and Nagito – you work on making a plan. Hiyoko and I will supervise. The rest of you would only be a distraction.”

“Rude!” Akane shouted. “I’m great at makin’ plans! How d’ya think I got into Hope’s Peak?”

“You slept with the headmaster?” Hiyoko guessed. Ibuki choked.

Akane growled. “I’m about to kick this whole room’s _ass_!”

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Mahiru said disapprovingly. “You’re proving my point. But you can still be helpful! If Junko notices we’re all in one place, she’ll get suspicious and probably send Monokumas. You seven can fight them off.”

“And until then, what?” Nekomaru demanded. “Wait – never mind. I’m gonna be taking a shit.”

“You are the world’s most predictable man, you know that?”

The next morning, Sayaka stood at the front of the dining hall and cleared her throat. “E-excuse me?” she said, her voice trembling. “I – I have a confession to make.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Chiaki whispered to her. “Nobody needs to know what happened – well, what almost happened.”

“No, I want to,” Sayaka responded. “If I didn’t, I’d never be able to live with myself.”

“Yo!” Mondo shouted. “What are you chicks whisperin’ about? We wanna eat!”

“Mondo!” Taka admonished. “Sayaka politely asked permission to be able to address all of us, and it would be in your best interest to respect that!”

“Are you threatenin’ me?” Mondo snarled.

“Guys,” Sayaka said softly. “I need to tell you that –”

Junko burst into the room, carrying a passed-out Makoto in her arms. Her expression was panicked. “Everybody shut the fuck up and come to Toko’s room, right now!”

Chiaki’s stomach dropped as she ran after her classmates. _No…_

She didn’t want to believe it. She couldn’t believe it. She had promised that she would protect everyone.

Junko pushed the broken remains of the door open.

Toko Fukawa lay there. Dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're going to say. 'Wow, killing off Toko first? So original! Nobody's EVER done that before!'  
> I know, I know. It was a basic choice. Look, it worked narratively, okay? I have absolutely nothing against Toko as a character - as I've mentioned before, I like her quite a bit. But this is Danganronpa. Sacrifices have to be made.  
> In conclusion, please don't come for me Toko stans and kinnies, I did what I had to do.  
> Additionally, I'm sorry if Chiaki seemed out of character or like kind of a Mary Sue. Keep in mind that I'm an idiot and don't know what I'm doing. (Actually, that's just a good thing to keep in mind throughout the whole fic.)


	8. Chapter One: Deadly Life Part One

Chiaki fell to her knees. “Why…?” she whispered. “Why did this have to happen?” She began to cry. “Why couldn’t I protect everyone?”

“More importantly,” Kyoko said, strolling into the room, “what happens now?”

She was answered a moment later when Monokuma came waddling in. “Uh-oh! Looks like someone found a body!”

“Whadda you want?” Mondo growled.

“Oh, I’d simply like for all of you to gather in the gymnasium. That’s all.” With a wink, he disappeared.

Hiro stared at the body. “Wha-wha-WHAAAT?” he shouted. “So this – all of this – it’s _real_??”  
“How are you just realizing that now?” Hina yelled back. She was starting to cry now too. “Toko… oh God, the last thing I ever said to her was ‘screw you’…”

“What are you all waiting for?”

Kyoko’s words permeated the room. “Well?” she repeated. “We need to gather in the gymnasium. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

“Bullshit!” Mondo snapped. “That fucked-up thing is the reason Toko’s dead! Like hell I’m gonna do what he says!”

Celeste giggled. “By all means, reject his authority. I am most curious as to what would happen to you.”

“Exactly.” Kyoko nodded. “Monokuma is our captor. He holds all the cards. It would be quite unwise to disobey him without good reason.”

Mondo looked down. “Fuck… you’re right. I fuckin’ hate it, but you’re right.” His head hung, Mondo walked out of the room.

“I’ll carry Makoto there, I guess,” Junko said. “Poor guy started screaming and then passed out the second he saw Toko like this.” She looked down at him fondly. “He’s kinda cute when he’s asleep, actually.”

“I know, right?” Chiaki agreed. “He looks so peaceful.”

Kyoko cleared her throat. “Right,” Chiaki said hurriedly. “This is more important. Okay, let’s head to the gym.”

When they arrived, Monokuma was standing at the podium waiting for them. “Geez, you kids are so slow! I’ve been waiting here for, like, three hours!”

“Alright,” Mondo said. “Ya got us all here. So, what do you want from us?”  
Makoto’s eyes fluttered open. “Wha… Junko? Where…” His eyes widened, and he flailed out of her arms, hitting the floor. “Toko!” Pushing himself to his feet, he took off running for the dorms.

“Somebody please stop him,” Byakuya said.

Junko grabbed him by the shoulder. “Hey, where do you think you’re going, anyway?”

Makoto was starting to cry. “Toko… she… I have to make sure she’s all right!”

Kyoko shook her head. “She’s gone, Makoto. You can check as many times as you like, but it won’t change the truth.”  
Makoto collapsed to the floor. “I… I can’t believe…” He looked around. “Wait… why are we in the gym?”

Monokuma cleared his throat. “Um, hello? I called them here, obviously.”

Makoto glared. “Why are we indulging this thing? It’s obvious he’s the one who killed Toko!”

“Bzzt! Wrong! I would never do that! It’s against my very nature to interfere with your communal life, and I absolutely won’t unless someone violates a school regulation!” He laughed, and the malice in his voice was more obvious than ever. “The true killer is… one of you!”

“No… no!”

Chiaki’s words rang throughout the gymnasium. Monokuma tilted his head at her. “What makes you say that, wise guy?”  
“Because… these guys… they’re my classmates. We’re… we’re friends. And there’s no way I can believe that one of my friends could kill another.

Monokuma stared. Then he laughed. And went on laughing. “Oh, you’re just so naïve! You’re so stupid and innocent and naïve I can’t help but laugh!” He bared his claws. “Do you really think any of you are friends? You’ve known each other for what, three days? Come on! Can any of you call each other friends? Can any of you say you really know each other? Can a single person here be absolutely sure that one of their so-called friends wouldn’t kill?”

Nobody said a word. Chiaki stared ahead, motionless.

Because the truth was –

“I can.”

Makoto got to his feet and glared intensely at the bear. “I haven’t known these guys very long, but I know none of them are capable of murder! Because they’re good people, every one of them.” He pointed around the room. “Chiaki would bet her life on her friends without a second thought. Kyoko is always looking out for us, making sure none of us do anything to get ourselves killed. Chihiro is too timid and kind to even think of murder. Which leaves you, Monokuma, as the only viable killer.”

Another laugh, but not from Monokuma. This one came from the crowd of gathered students. A laugh of total disbelief. “I can’t be the only one who’s seeing this, right?” Byakuya asked. “All you know about us are our surface-level personalities. You have no idea what might be hiding beneath. Celeste’s entire personality is based on lies. Mondo is a violent brute; who knows what he’s capable of? Kyoko, the very one who’s ‘always looking out for us’, refuses to disclose even her talent.” He stared Makoto down. “I, for one, am inclined to believe the bear.” He turned to Monokuma. “And, in the event, that one of us truly is the killer, I’d like to set one thing straight. That person is now allowed to leave the school, correct?”

“Upupupupupupupu…”

“Why are you still laughing?” Byakuya demanded. “Those were the rules, correct? You kill someone, you get to leave.”

“Naïve… all of you are so naïve! Of course it’s not that simple! Do you really think getting out of here would be as easy as killing someone?”

“What?” Hina asked numbly. “But… but that’s not fair! If someone is dead, it’s only right that some good should come out of it! One of us should get to leave!”

“Hmm, acting rather suspicious, aren’t we?” Monokuma asked coyly. “Well, whatever. Allow me to explain the rule regarding graduation! As I explained, you must kill someone if you want to leave. However… even if you do that, the second part of the rule still stands! If you’re found out, it’s all over!”

“But… nobody’s confessed,” Sayaka said. “And we haven’t figured out who did this, so… doesn’t that mean they got away with it?”

“What are you, stupid? Of course not! It’s far more complex than that! I have designed an elaborate system to determine whether the blackened who committed the murder gets to go free.” He paused dramatically. “After a certain amount of time… a class trial will begin!”

“Class… trial?” Hina stammered.

“Yep! A few hours after the murder, the blackened who committed the murder and the spotless innocent students will all gather together and engage in one big debate showdown! You’ll all present your arguments, and at the end, you’ll vote on who you think the killer is. If you choose the true blackened, only they will receive punishment. But if not… then the blackened will survive, and the rest of you will be punished!”

“What exactly is this ‘punishment’?” Hifumi asked nervously.

Monokuma chuckled. “It’s… execution!”

“So if the killer is caught, only they die. But if not… the rest of us die?” Taka asked.

“Ding ding ding! That’s correct!” Monokuma said with a sadistic smile.

“You’re freaking insane, you know that?” Junko shouted. “A class trial? That’s total BS! I don’t want anything to do with it!”

“Whaaa?” Monokuma tilted his head to the side. “Why not?”

“Whaddaya mean why not? Why do I have to waste my time trying to figure out who murdered someone??”

Monokuma gasped. “What? Are you saying you’re not gonna participate in the trial? Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!”

“What?” Junko asked, sounding shocked. “Punishment?” She glared. “Shut the hell up! I’m not gonna be a part of this!”

 _Everyone’s too shocked to say anything,_ Chiaki thought frantically. _But if nobody does anything… Junko’s going to die._

“Aww, come on. Don’t be so selfish,” Monokuma chided.

“You’re the one being selfish!” Junko snapped. “Kill whoever the hell you want, it’s got nothing to do with me!”

_What is she doing? This… this isn’t like her._

“Ooh, the evil standing before me… I’m trembling with fear!” Monokuma mocked. “But I won’t give in! It’s my style to stick it out and resist until the very end! If you really wanna get out of here… you’ll have to go through me first!”

Monokuma came waddling forward, his teeth and claws glinting in the fluorescent lights of the gymnasium.

Chiaki’s mind was racing. _He threatened punishment but nobody broke any school regulations. He’s going on the attack when he promised he wouldn’t interfere. Is he… is he specifically trying to get Junko killed?_

With lightning speed, Junko brought up her foot –

And almost as quickly, she blinked and stepped back. “H-huh?”

Chiaki had grabbed her by the arm. “I failed to save a classmate one time,” she said firmly. “I’m not gonna do it again.”

“Junko, do not attack Monokuma,” Kyoko warned. “He’ll kill you.”

“Get _off_ me, you little shit!” Junko snarled, pulling her arm away. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want!”

“What you’re doing doesn’t make any sense at all,” Chiaki explained. “From your words to Monokuma’s response to your attack… it feels like a dialogue tree where somebody coded the wrong response to the wrong choice.” She gave her a hard look. “I understand how you feel, and I don’t mean to offend you, but it really doesn’t seem like you’re thinking straight.”

“Well – I –” Junko looked at Monokuma helplessly.

Monokuma waved a paw. “Oh, well. I was really looking forward to an execution… but I guess I can hold off.” He shook his head. “But your behavior is truly shameful, Ms. Enoshima. I can’t believe someone would disrespect the killing game like that.”

Junko glared, and for a moment Chiaki was afraid she was going to attack again, but Monokuma moved, and she hesitated, then stopped. “Whatever, okay? I don’t care enough about this to die over it.”

“Now,” Monokuma continued, ignoring Junko, “I would like to present the one and only, handy-dandy Monokuma File!” He handed Kyoko a black folder. “This bad boy contains everything I know about the cause of death. And how do I know about the cause of death, you ask? Well… because I watched it go down!” He winked. “But of course I’m not gonna tell you. That would spoil all the fun!”

Kyoko nodded. “Of course… as the judge, you do need to be able to make a fair and accurate decision. That’s oddly comforting.”

Monokuma clapped his paws. “Well, chop chop! See you at the class trial!”

He disappeared, leaving a room full of students confused, upset, and alone.

As Kyoko talked about guarding the crime scene, Junko backed away. “I… I need to be alone for a little while, okay?”

“What the hell?” Mondo asked angrily. “You were fine ten seconds ago!”

Chiaki shook her head. “It’s okay… I understand. It’s been a long day for everyone. You can go.”

“Thanks.” Nodding, Junko dashed back to the dorms.

When Mukuro Ikusaba arrived back at her room, she tore off her wig (it’d be a pain in the ass to get back on, but it was worth it) and collapsed onto her bed, unable to comprehend what had happened. “Junko… why? Why did you let Chiaki derail our plan?”

Monokuma popped into her room, and Mukuro smiled, relieved. “Junko! What is it?”

“I ain’t no Junko, sister!” Monokuma said, sounding offended. “I’m Monokuma! But I guess I can answer your question anyway. Simply put… there’s been a change of plans.”

“What?” Mukuro asked, confused. “Why wasn’t I –”

Monokuma snickered. “Do you really think Junko would let a dumb bitch like you in on her whole plan?”

Mukuro looked down. “No… I’m sorry.”

“Point being, when you let little miss Nanami get in the way of our plan, you lost all credibility. As such, we can no longer afford to allow you to continue as a mastermind of this killing game.”

Mukuro’s heart stopped. “Are… are you going to kill me?”

Monokuma put a paw to where his heart would be if he were a real anthropomorphic nightmare bear in mock horror. “Why, of course not! What kind of a bear do you think I am?” He shook his head. “No, I’m simply going to allow you to stay in the killing game as a participant. Oh, and don’t expect any special treatment just because your sister is the mastermind. You’re just a normal would-be victim, killer, or survivor like everybody else.”

“No…” Mukuro whispered. “You can’t do this to me. I’m… I’m your sister!”

Monokuma glanced at his wrist. “Oh, look at the time! I’ve got to get back to Junko! Well… see you later, Mukuro!” He turned to leave. “But before I go… remember your hidden school regulation.”

And with that, he was gone.

Mukuro stared down at her e-Handbook. _Mukuro Ikusaba is forbidden to reveal the mastermind’s identity._ She could feel herself starting to cry but pushed her emotions back.

She had years of military experience behind her. She knew her sister better than anyone. She had killed countless people before, though she didn’t have much experience in covering up her crimes.

She could survive this. She had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure: I might be going on a brief hiatus while I write the next few chapters. Up until now it's all been relatively familiar territory to write this, but I've never really tried to write anything like an investigation or class trial before. Might take a little while to reach something I'm satisfied with. (I'm not sure why I'm bothering when the end product is going to be shit regardless, but eh. Might as well try.)  
> Also Mukuro gets to live (for now, at least) because shut up I need this.


	9. Chapter One: Deadly Life Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just noticed I accidentally spelled 'Izuru Kamukura' as 'Izuku Kamakaura' in the description for this fic and I have never been more ashamed of myself.  
> Oh yeah, and I guess this is also important: the hiatus did not end up happening because my brain does not let me rest and I managed to finish the investigation and class trial within a day. Hopefully it's satisfactory; like I said, I've never really done this before.

INVESTIGATE

_Before we do anything, we should probably check out the Monokuma File._

“‘The victim’s name is Toko Fukawa.’,” Chiaki read aloud. “‘The body was discovered in Toko’s room. All evidence suggests that the death took place there. The cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. She also sustained a bruise to her left eye, a deep cut to her left leg, and two deep cuts to her throat.’ Bruise to her left eye, huh…”

“Oh, yeah,” Makoto said, leaning over her shoulder to look at the folder. “I guess I didn’t get a really good look at the body.”

“No…” Chiaki remembered the body… all the blood… the thought that she would have to go back there made her sick. “No, me neither.”

_Toko might not have been the nicest person, but she was still my classmate, and maybe one day, she could’ve been my friend. I have to find who killed her, for her, and for all of us!_

**‘Monokuma File #1’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

“Hey, Makoto?” Chiaki asked.

The boy looked up. “Yeah.”

She swallowed. “I hate to even ask this, but… you and Junko were the first to discover the body, correct?”

“Are you suggesting… I killed her?” Makoto’s eyes widened in disbelief. “No way! I couldn’t even get in there without Junko’s help!”

Chiaki nodded. “Yeah. And you two were together when she broke down the door?”

“Well…” Makoto rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have gone to the bathroom between her twentieth doorbell ring and when she broke the door down…”

“And she ran off right after the investigation started…” Chiaki mused.

Makoto swallowed hard. “I don’t want to believe it, but… maybe…”

**‘Makoto’s Testimony’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

_It doesn’t look like we’ll get any more out of searching here… I should probably check out… the body…_

As Chiaki entered the room, she noticed a smashed lamp lying in the corner. Papers were scattered all over the room. Several scissors were impaled into the wall, one sticking through the wall clock. The time was stuck at 10:33.

**‘Evidence of a Struggle’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

**‘Wall Clock’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Toko’s desk drawer was slightly open. _I feel bad about violating her privacy, but… it’s not like we have any other choice._ She pulled open the drawer to reveal… “Scissors?”

Sure enough, the drawer was stuffed full of scissors. “They look like a video game weapon,” Chiaki said, picking up a pair. “But why does she have these… and why so many of them?”

**‘Toko’s Scissors’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

“I dunno, man,” Leon said. “Maybe she was super into arts and crafts?”

“You’re really makin’ jokes here?” Mondo asked menacingly. “A girl’s dead. Show some damn respect.”

“Woah, woah, hey!” Leon held up his hands. “I’m not trying to, like, start something or anything. We’re cool, right?”

Mondo took a threatening step forward, but Sakura put a hand on his shoulder. “Do not engage, Mondo. We need to continue to guard the body, so that her killer may be avenged.”

He sighed. “Whatever. Just, shit… why did this have to happen?”

_That’s what we’re all trying to figure out, Mondo. So we can avenge her… so this never has to happen again._

Chiaki swallowed. _I guess… I should check out the body…_

Bracing herself, she knelt down next to Toko’s corpse and began to investigate.

First things first, she checked the surrounding area. _A sewing kit? Oh yeah… the girls all got one of those on the first day._

There were two sewing kits lying next to each other. One was mostly empty; the other one was full, but the thread was tangled beyond usability.

“That’s suturing thread,” Sakura observed.

“Huh?”

“Suturing thread,” she explained. “It’s effective for stitching wounds and doesn’t carry the risk of infection that regular thread does.”

**‘Empty Sewing Kit’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

**‘Full Sewing Kit’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

“Hey, Sakura, while I have you here…” Chiaki shifted uncomfortably. “Could I… ask you where you were last night? Not that I think you did it, but –”

“No, it’s fine. I understand. I was in my room with Hina. Although…” Sakura frowned. “She came back looking a bit… odd.”

“What do you mean?”

Sakura looked away. “I… I shouldn’t tell you. It’s quite personal, and I wouldn’t like to violate Hina’s trust.”

“I see.” _What could that mean?_

**‘Sakura’s Account’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Also lying next to the body was another pair of scissors, this one bloody. _Could these have been the murder weapon?_

**‘Bloody Scissors’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Chiaki swallowed. “I guess… I need to examine the body now…”

She hadn’t been able to bring herself to look closely at Toko’s body before, but now that she did, she noticed just how bad her wounds were. There was a gash along her left leg, partially sewn shut. _Did she try to stitch herself back up?_

**‘Leg Wound’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Just as the Monokuma File had described, her eye was badly bruised as well. _Maybe she got into a fight with her attacker…_

**‘Black Eye’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Examining Toko’s neck, Chiaki discovered a pair of slashes along the sides, nearly identical to each other and almost meeting in the center. _What type of weapon would’ve caused this?_

**‘Throat Wounds’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Chiaki slowly dragged her eyes down to the most gruesome wounds of the body – the chest wounds. Toko was covered in deep, bloody marks ranging from her heart to her stomach. _There are so many of them…_ Looking at them made her sick, but she swallowed back the bile building in her throat and forced herself to look.

The majority of the wounds were vertical and thin. The size of the cuts varied, but not dramatically. _Maybe from a knife… or…_

**‘Chest Wounds’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

As she was about to step away, Chiaki caught a glimpse of something on the wall behind Toko. Wincing, she pushed Toko’s body aside slightly. A series of numbers was written on the wall behind her.

**‘Bloody Numbers’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

_Huh… do these numbers mean something? I’ll have to ask Chihiro._

_Okay, I think I’ve investigated everything I needed to in this area. I feel bad leaving Toko’s side, but… I have to keep searching for the truth. For her sake._

Leaving Toko’s room, Chiaki bumped into Kyoko. “Oh, hey. Are you here to… investigate?”

“Of course. I assume you were doing the same?”

Chiaki nodded. “Actually, while I have you here… do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Kyoko gave a small smile. “I’m not sure why, but this feels extremely ironic. But sure, go ahead.”

“Okay. Did you notice anything suspicious yesterday?”

Kyoko tilted her head to the side. “Why are you asking me?”

Chiaki shrugged. “Well, you’re really observant and insightful. I thought you might have noticed something.”

“Hm.” Kyoko considered this. “Well, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. Last night, while having tea with Celeste, I noticed Junko come into the kitchen, acting incredibly suspicious.”

**_“Hey, guys. Uh, what are you doing? What’s going on?”_ **

**_Kyoko and Celeste exchanged a glance. “Nothing…” Kyoko said slowly._ **

**_Junko nodded. “Yeah, yeah, same here. I’m just gonna grab… a snack.” She ran into the kitchen, looking furtively over her shoulder._ **

“She left holding something wrapped in a paper towel,” Kyoko concluded. “I couldn’t make out the shape exactly, but it looked like a knife.”

“Mhm.” Chiaki made a mental note of that. “I’m surprised you and Celeste were together. You don’t seem like the type who’d get along.”

Kyoko gave a small smile. “On the contrary. She’s quite clever. We were discussing possible courses of action, ways to rectify our situation, things like that.” Kyoko paused. “Well, I continuously brought up different suggestions, and she shot them down in increasingly logical ways.” She shook her head. “That woman truly is stubborn. Honestly, I think the only reason she stayed to listen to me was because her nails were drying and she didn’t want to move and smudge them.”

_Could Junko really have killed Toko? I don’t want to believe it, but… if she really did take a knife, then maybe…_

**‘Kyoko’s Testimony’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

_This was a helpful lead. Maybe I should ask around some more._

Returning to the gym, Chiaki noticed Hiro sitting in the corner, staring at the ground. “Hey, Hiro. What’s wrong?”

“Someone please let me out of here!” he yelled. “Please, whatever deity is out there, just let me out! Please!”

“Right…” Chiaki cleared her throat. “Well, we’re not getting out of here unless we solve Toko’s murder. Have you seen anything suspicious?”

Hiro shook his head slowly. “Nothing comes to mind, sorry…” He jerked his head up. “Oh yeah! There was that one thing. Remember when you blacked out? When I was walking to the nurse’s office to check up on you, I noticed Hina and Toko getting into it pretty bad.”

“Oh yeah…” Chiaki remembered Hina storming into the area in tears. “How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad, man. Hina looked about ready to kill her.” His eyes widened. “Wait… you don’t think…”

“I don’t know,” Chiaki admitted. _Would Hina kill over something as small as an argument? Then again, I guess the motive videos were involved… and if hers was as bad as Sayaka’s… maybe…_

**‘Hiro’s Testimony’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

“Hey Chiaki!” Makoto ran up to her, out of breath. “I just realized something! This school has an incinerator, right?”

“Right…” She nodded. “And if the killer got to it, maybe they destroyed some evidence!”

“Hmm?” Hifumi, overhearing their conversation, walked up to them. “As a matter of fact, that’s impossible! I am the only one with the key to the trash room, and I take my duties very seriously!” He held up the key proudly.

Chiaki squinted. “Wait… what is that on the end?”

Hifumi looked down. “Huh? There’s some sort of… black smidge on here.” He scratched his head. “But the key never left my possession! How…”

_Where could that have come from? I can’t think of anything in the school that would make that kind of mark._

**‘Black Smudge’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

Just then, Kyoko exited Sayaka’s room. “Hey,” Chiaki greeted. “That was fast.”

She smiled. “I believe I’ve gathered all the evidence I need.”

“What did you find?” Chiaki asked eagerly.

Kyoko removed something from her pocket. “The key to Toko’s room was in her pocket. Additionally, I had someone lock the room from the inside while I attempted to pick the lock. I didn’t get anywhere, which is saying something, as I’d consider myself very skilled at getting into places I’m not supposed to be.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Chiaki wondered.

“You went through a dead girl’s pockets?” Makoto blurted.

She sighed, then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. The rest will be revealed at the class trial.”

**‘Toko’s Room Key’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

**‘Dorm Room Locks’ has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.**

“Well,” Chiaki said as Kyoko walked away. “That was… something.”

Chiaki and Makoto walked around the school for another hour, interrogating students. Nobody else was able to tell them anything of value. They asked Chihiro about the numbers, but she didn’t know anything. They even checked the incinerator but found nothing there. “What are we going to do?” Makoto asked miserably. “The clues point in all different directions. We’re never gonna figure this out.”

“Hey.” Chiaki gave him a look. “Don’t say that, okay? We have plenty of evidence. We can sort through it all at the class trial.”

_Ding dong, bing bong._

Monokuma’s face appeared on the monitors. “Did someone say class trial?? It’s time, everyone! Please go through the red door on the first floor of the school!”

Chiaki and Makoto exchanged a serious look. “Well,” Chiaki said. “I guess it’s time.”

Once everyone had gathered within the red door, Monokuma spoke up again. “Wonderful! You’re all here! Now, please board the elevator in front of you. Puhuhuhu… I’ll be waiting!”

Mukuro’s heart pounded as the elevator slowly descended. She had never done this before. She had been behind enemy lines, in life-or-death situations, more times than she could count. But this was the first situation where her extensive combat training and years of experience fighting for her life wouldn’t help her. And, though she wouldn’t let herself admit it, she was scared out of her mind.

Looking around, she noticed Makoto, the boy who had given her that sweet smile when he thought they were meeting for the first time, the cute guy who had cared enough to ask about her life while they explored the school, trembling like a leaf. _He’s just as scared as I am._

“Hey,” she said, trying to give him the same reassuring smile he had given her what felt like years ago. “We’re gonna get through this, okay?”

He smiled back – a fragile, unsteady smile, but one so filled with sincerity and determination and _hope_ that it made her heart melt. She wanted to hug him, to hold him close and tell him everything would be all right.

_Wait, what?_

_Do I… do I_ like _this guy?_

Somehow, that was more terrifying than the impending death she was sure was waiting for her.

_I… I can’t be feeling this way. I can’t let a stupid crush get in the way of Junko’s –_

_But I’m not really part of Junko’s plan anymore, am I?_

_You know what? Fuck it._

She reached out her hand, and Makoto took it.

The elevator doors _ding_ ed open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm reusing the 'numbers' thing from the actual game. Why? Because I fucking can.  
> Seriously, though, I am really sorry if that's a letdown. Let's just call it 'paying homage to the first game' instead of 'I'm too dumb to think of a better way to conclude the trial' and move on. Maybe if I rewrite this I'll change it, but for now you're stuck with this.  
> Feel free to speculate about who the killer is! Hopefully I haven't made it too obvious.


	10. Chapter One: Deadly Life Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I just realized I've been misspelling Kamukura this entire time, what is wrong with me  
> Anyway. *clears throat* I should probably warn you right now: this trial is very long and I have no idea if it makes any sense. Like I keep reiterating, I've never written anything like this before and I'm not very smart, so don't expect anything cohesive.

“Nyohoho! You’ve finally arrived!”

Monokuma’s voice, abrasive as always, rang throughout the room. The students stepped out uncertainly, looking around like caged animals. Which, in a way, they were.

“Okay, okay.” Monokuma cleared his throat. “Everybody find your seats, now. It’s time for the class trial to begin!”

Slowly, the students found their seats. Chiaki’s heart was racing. _This could be the place where we all die._

She shook her head. _No. I won’t let that happen._

_For Toko’s sake, I’ll find the killer and save everyone!_

CLASS TRIAL

“First things first,” Kyoko said, after Monokuma had finished reiterating the rules. “The killer is truly one of us, correct?”

“Of course!” Monokuma said, not entirely reassuringly. “What do you take me for, a liar?”

“Okay!” Taka shouted. “Everyone close your eyes, and whoever did it, raise your hand!”

“Why would anyone raise their hand?” Chiaki wondered, genuinely curious.

Taka looked at her like she was crazy. “Moral integrity, obviously!”

“Er… if they’ve already killed someone, they probably don’t have any moral integrity, though,” Makoto pointed out.

“If you all don’t mind putting your ridiculous back-and-forth on hold, I have another question,” Kyoko said. “What’s going on with… that picture?” She pointed to the portrait of Toko sitting at the only vacant seat in the courtroom, a red X over her face.

“Well, I’d feel awful if anyone got left out just ‘cause they died!” Monokuma responded, sounding almost sympathetic. “Friendship penetrates even death’s barrier!”

Hifumi opened his mouth.

“Don’t you dare say a fuckin’ word,” Mondo warned.

Hifumi closed his mouth.

“First up is the case summary!” Monokuma said cheerfully. “One… two… three… GO!”

_It’s about to begin. Our debate to decide who the killer is._

_Anything I found, anything I noticed… I have to be ready to speak up. Every detail counts._

_Because my classmates… my friends… all their lives are on the line!_

“Right then!” Taka started things off. “I assert that the one who was murdered was Miss Toko Fukawa!”

“We know that already, dumbass,” Mondo growled.

“She was killed in her own room,” Byakuya observed.

Chihiro’s eyes filled with tears. “The killer must have taken her by surprise while she was asleep… **she didn’t even have a chance to resist** …”

“No, that’s wrong!”

The room’s attention turned to Chiaki. Feeling slightly awkward, she proceeded. “Try to remember how her room looked. There was a lamp broken, things scattered everywhere, and a lot of scissors stuck in the wall. There was definitely some kind of struggle.”

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “Yes, as should have been obvious immediately.”

“Oh…” Chihiro looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“More than a struggle,” Mondo said, sounding almost impressed. “ **The crazy fuck who killed her** basically trashed the room.”

“Actually,” Chiaki said, “I think it was Toko who did that, not the killer. From where Toko was lying, she would’ve been in the perfect position to put those scissors through the wall. The killer, on the other hand, would’ve sent the scissors flying to the opposite wall. I believe Toko fought back against her attacker.”

“Why are we even doin’ this, anyway?” Leon asked. “It’s obvious Junko’s the one who killed Toko!”

“W-what?” Junko stammered. “That’s totally crazy! Why would I kill her?”

“You _were_ pretty adamant about not participating in the killing game,” Makoto said slowly.

“Well, yeah, ‘cause we could all totally die here! Why the hell would I want to take part in this?”

“Oh my my,” Monokuma said, holding his paws to his mouth. “Looks like Junko’s in trouble! This is what you get for disrespecting my killing game, you know!”

Junko stamped her foot. “Oh, come _on_! Why me?”

_I don’t want to believe Junko is the killer, but…_

“When would I have even done it?” Junko asked adamantly. “ **You can’t prove I was alone with Toko** at any point!”

“Actually,” Chiaki spoke up reluctantly, “we can. Right, Makoto?”

Makoto looked away. “Um… yeah. I wasn’t there when Junko broke down the door.”

“Hold on!” Junko was starting to panic. “You were gone for, like, five minutes! How could I have killed Toko in that short of a time? And wouldn’t somebody have heard me, you know, murdering her?”

“Our rooms _are_ soundproofed,” Chihiro said timidly.

“But if the door was broken down, the soundproofing wouldn’t apply,” Kyoko observed. “Someone certainly would’ve heard.”

“Well, I’m still not convinced!” Hifumi huffed. “I mean, Toko could’ve been taken by surprise!”

“But we just proved that’s not what happened,” Hiro said.

“Yeah, well… the killer could’ve murdered Toko, then wrecked her room to throw off the investigation!”

“That seems like… a bit of a stretch…” Chiaki said cautiously.

“But can anyone actually prove that’s not what happened?” Hifumi demanded. “ **There’s no proof** that my version of events is incorrect!”

“Actually, there is,” Chiaki said. “Because the killer, in trashing the room, would’ve had to intentionally leave an important piece of evidence.”

“Oh yeah? And what, pray tell, might that be?”

“The wall clock.”

“Huh?” Hiro asked. “What does that have to do with any of this?”

“Try to recall the state of the wall clock,” Kyoko said. “It had been impaled, keeping the time stuck at 10:33. With that, we have a definitive time frame the murder must’ve taken place in.”

Junko snapped her fingers. “Right! And Makoto and me found Toko’s body at, like, 8 AM! The murder must’ve taken place last night!” She sighed with relief. “Thank God. And before you ask, I have an alibi for that time. I was hangin’ out with Chihiro until, like midnight!”

“It’s true,” Chihiro said, somewhat gloomily. “She spent all night with me in the ladies’ room trying to fix my fashion sense.”

Junko rolled her eyes. “Which was pointless, by the way. She totally refused to try my makeup!”

“So that’s it,” Hifumi said glumly. “We’re back at square one.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Kyoko said. “We’ve secured two alibis.”

“Upupupupupu…”

“What’s so funny?” Makoto asked, glaring at Monokuma.

“It’s just… you haven’t even considered the fact that the killer might have an accomplice. Who’s to say Junko and Chihiro aren’t co-conspirators!”

“Interesting…” Celeste said. “And what exactly is the policy on accomplices?”

“Okay!” Monokuma clapped his paws. “Here’s the deal. Each murderer is allowed to have the accomplice, but only the one who committed the murder will graduate. However…” He seemed to smile, a sinister expression that Chiaki would just as soon forget. “It works both ways. If the blackened is found, only they will be executed. Their accomplice will get to continue their school life.”

“I see.” Celeste nodded. “Then there would be no reason for anyone to work together.” She paused. “However, as we have just now discovered that rule, could someone not have teamed up believing that they would graduate as well?”

“I just don’t know!” Monokuma said, feigning ignorance. “Guess you’ll have to figure that one out yourselves, huh?”

“So Chihiro and Junko could’ve been accomplices,” Makoto said slowly.

“Ugh!” Junko wiped her eyes. “Come on, you guys. Do you really think we could kill someone?”

“I dunno…” Mondo said. “They’re both really nice chicks. Maybe we’re barkin’ up the wrong tree.”

“Is that truly how you want to judge the character of our classmates?” Celeste asked politely. “Based on ‘niceness’? In that event, you have just become our prime suspect.”

“You wanna say that again??”

_I don’t think Chihiro could really kill someone, but Junko…_

“Do you even have one shred of evidence that I did this?” Junko asked, her voice becoming hysterical. “That’s what I thought! I bet lots of you don’t have alibis for last night, too! **I’m not any more guilty** than anyone else here!”

“Actually… we do have more evidence linking you to the murder. Isn’t that right, Kyoko?”

Kyoko smiled smugly. “I was waiting for this to become relevant. Last night, when having tea with Celeste, I noticed Junko come into the dining hall acting strange. She left with something wrapped in a paper towel that roughly resembled the shape of a knife.”

Everyone stared at Junko.

“Well, that settles that!” Taka exclaimed. “I believe we’re ready to vote!”

“WAIT!” Junko screamed. She reached down into her boot and pulled out –

“THE KNIFE!” Hifumi screamed back. “SHE’S GOT THE KNIFE!”

Junko twirled the knife between her fingers, somehow managing not to cut herself in the process. “Chill. I’m not gonna hurt anybody. I just wanted to prove something.”

For a second, a shocked expression flitted across Kyoko’s face, quickly replaced by her usual cold demeanor. “Interesting. What, exactly, does this prove?”

Junko looked at her like she was an idiot. “Duh! Look at this thing! _No blood_.”

“You coulda cleaned it off,” Leon pointed out.

“Why the hell would I do that?” Junko asked. “And why would I keep the knife on me in the first place? Why would I keep a piece of super incriminating evidence instead of just leaving it at the scene?”

“Why did you even want a knife?” Taka asked, incredulous. “Were you planning to commit some heinous act?”

“I…” Junko looked down. “I just didn’t feel safe, okay? I didn’t want to be totally vulnerable. I mean… this is a killing game, you know? I wanted to be able to protect myself in case anybody came after me.” She pointed around the room. “Besides, how do you guys know this was even the murder weapon, huh?”

“Oh, come on,” Hiro said, “now you’re just being ridiculous. The wounds on Toko’s body obviously **came from a knife**!”

“And what proof of that do we have?” Chiaki asked.

“Well… I mean… she got stabbed, right? Obviously it was with a knife!”

“Oh, come on. Have you not even looked at the crime scene?” Byakuya asked, exasperated.

“Ha, I guess not.” He laughed. “Yeah, I was kinda trying to work through some stuff while the whole investigation thing was going on.”

“Well,” Kyoko said, “for anyone who’s not familiar with the crime scene: there was a pair of bloody scissors found next to Toko’s body.”

Junko nodded enthusiastically. “Right! See? My knife is totally not the murder weapon!”

“And…” Chihiro sniffled. “I d-didn’t conspire with her. I would never do anything like that!”

“Not admissible evidence,” Byakuya said, “but I do have to admit there’s nothing in particular to incriminate you. For now, we will assume your innocence.” He sighed. “And I suppose that means we have to assume Junko’s as well.”

“What do we do now?” Hina asked. “We’re back to square one. **We don’t have any more evidence**!”

“Actually,” Chiaki said, “we do.”

Hina looked startled. “Huh? But we just –”

“Hifumi,” she said, hoping desperately she wouldn’t regret relying on him for this, “what about the incinerator key?”

“Huh?” He scratched his head. “What about it?”

“That black smudge on it.”

“Oh… yeah!” Hifumi nodded. “There was some weird black smudge on the key. Which is weird, because it definitely wasn’t there before, and the key never left my possession.” He puffed out his chest. “I pride myself on being a responsible Keymaster!”

“So somebody must’ve taken it,” Kyoko reasoned.

“But who, I wonder?” Celeste pondered.

Chiaki swallowed. _There’s only one thing I can think of that would make that black smudge – and one person who could’ve left it. That person is…_

“Celeste.”

“Hmm?” The gambler looked up, all innocence.

“Kyoko mentioned… you had a fresh coat of paint on your nails last night,” she said heavily. “Could you please hold up your hand?”

She put her hands behind her back. “I do not believe that is necessary.”

“Work with me here,” Chiaki pleaded. “We need to do this… so we can all survive.”

“Once again, I must refuse.”

“Please, Celeste –”

“I SAID NO, YOU LITTLE SHIT!”

Everyone stared. Because in her fury, Celeste had stuck out a hand to point a finger angrily at Chiaki. And everyone could see her pointer finger, coated with slightly marred black nail polish.

“Oh my.” Celeste looked down at her hand, her composure fully recovered. “It appears I have compromised myself.”

“W-why would you need the incinerator key?” Hifumi stammered. “Unless…”

Chiaki wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard a hint of betrayal in Kyoko’s voice. “Celeste… did you use the incinerator to dispose of evidence?”

The girl giggled. “ _I_ most certainly did not.”

“But your whole schtick is, like, lying and shit, right?” Mondo asked.

“Oh no, I am telling the truth,” Celeste assured him. “ _I_ am not the one who used the incinerator key.”

_It sounds crazy, but the way she’s saying it, I’m kind of inclined to believe her. But, because of her phrasing…_

“Celeste… are you the accomplice?”

Celeste paused, then nodded. “Yes. Yes I am.”

The killer’s heart dropped.

They looked around the room frantically. They were moments from being found out, and they knew it. _Please… no…_

They couldn’t be caught. Because… they had to see them. They had to make sure that person was all right.

“Why the hell didn’t you speak up sooner?” Hina asked furiously, her voice trembling. “You know what? That doesn’t matter. Just tell us who it is already!”

Celeste smiled. Her mouth opened. _I… I can’t die like this…_

“No,” she said.

The killer was so relieved they nearly fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I really hope it isn't glaringly obvious who the killer is already.  
> Next chapter is going to conclude the trial, promise. In the meantime, feel free to speculate.  
> Also, I just want to say: this has been getting a lot of positive feedback, so, to anyone who's given kudos, left a comment, or even just bothered to read this, thank you so much. Your support means a lot. Also, feel free to point out any plot holes, contradictions, or just straight-up bad writing you notice, or if you have any ideas of things I should incorporate feel free to let me know. Hell, it was a comment on the prologue that gave me the idea for Kamukura Theater, which is one of my personal favorite parts of the story. (Shout out to Belmont for that one.) I really appreciate your feedback, whether it's pointing out a plot hole or just straight-up moral support. So, once again, thanks. You guys are dope.


	11. Chapter One: Deadly Life Part Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the big reveal.  
> Something I was going to add in the ending notes for the last chapter but forgot to: I always thought accomplices were a really underutilized part of the series. The only times there's actually an accomplice, they die before the trial (looking at you, Hifumi), and I thought it'd be really interesting to have someone who's at least partially guilty for assisting the murderer to get to continue living with everyone else and have to deal with the fallout of their actions. I guess they kind of did that with Byakuya, but let's be honest he was kind of terrible already so instead of drastically losing everyone's trust people were just like 'well yeah what did you expect it's Byakuya'. So yeah, that's my take on the whole 'accomplice' aspect of the games that nobody whatsoever asked for.

“Whaddaya mean, no?” Mondo snarled. “You know who it is ‘cause you worked with ‘em, so just fess up already!”

Celeste giggled. “Now why would I do that? It would ruin all the fun.”

Byakuya sighed with relief. “Finally, someone who sees things the same way.”

“How is this fun?” Chihiro asked, tears brimming in her eyes. “We… we could die!”

“Do none of you see it?” Byakuya asked condescendingly. “Celeste holds all the cards. If she doesn’t want to die, she will reveal who the killer is before it’s too late. But she’s choosing not to now, for the sake of assessing everyone’s abilities – and keeping the game going, of course. I would do the same.”

“Yeah, because you’re a fuckin’ psychopath!” Mondo’s voice was getting louder. “Celeste, you gotta tell us already! If you don’t wanna die, just _tell_ us!”

“You are correct; I do not wish to die here.” Her angelic smile widened. “But watching all this play out is simply too much fun. If you do not arrive at the correct conclusion on your own, I will tell you who the true killer is before you all perish. But I am extremely curious as to whether you will manage to do so.”

“Isn’t there an easy way to do this, though?” Makoto asked. “We just agree to vote now, and just before we can cast our vote, Celeste will tell us.”

“Just one moment.” Kyoko’s eyes were narrowed. “How can we be sure that Celeste is telling the truth? How do we know she’s not the killer trying to mislead us?”

“Yeah!” Hina shouted. “She’s probably just trying to get us to vote for someone else so she can get out! We need to figure this out.”

Celeste shrugged. “Very well. Do not believe me. It will be your downfall.”

_We can’t let Celeste’s arguments distract us. We need to find the truth on our own!_

“Let’s go back to the beginning,” Kyoko said, “just to get back on track. We know the murder weapon was a pair of scissors, and we know they were Toko’s.”

“How do we know that?” Sayaka asked. “I mean, **the scissors could’ve been anyone’s**.”

“No, actually,” Chiaki said. “There were tons more scissors like that stuffed into her drawer.” She frowned. “But… why did she have them in the first place?”

“Maybe she just wanted protection, like Junko,” Hiro suggested.

“But where would she get those scissors from?” Chiaki asked. “I don’t know anywhere in the school she could’ve found those. She had to have brought them from home. And besides, if she wanted protection, why not just take a knife? Why some weird scissors?”

Nobody had an answer to that.

“Such a shame Toko died so soon,” Monokuma lamented. “Now I’ll just have to feed you the answer to the mystery behind those scissors instead of watching you all scamper around figuring it out for yourselves!” He mimed checking his watch. “But I’m a very busy bear, so I’ll just save you the trouble of one thing – those extra scissors don’t really have much to do with the case.”

“Yeah, but I’m still curious…” Hiro said. “I mean, we should figure that out, too, right?”

“Ay, Chiaki,” Mondo said. “Can I switch seats with you a minute?”

Chiaki looked at Monokuma, who shrugged. “I’ll allow it.”

“Okay… sure.” Maneuvering around Hina, Chiaki moved into Mondo’s spot, and he moved into hers just long enough to smack Hiro upside the head.

“Hey!” Hiro yelled. “What was that for?”

“You heard it from the damn thing itself, the scissors don’t matter right now! Get your dumbass hair outta the clouds and actually start helpin’ out for once!”

“You don’t get to talk about dumb hair, you know!”

Chiaki could swear Mondo’s eyes turned red. “YOU SON OF A –”

“Mondo. Calm down,” Kyoko commanded. “If we fall to infighting, we’ll never get anywhere.”

Mondo growled. “Fine. Just know I hate that bastard.” He went back to his original seat, as did Chiaki.

Kyoko sighed deeply. “At this rate, we’ll have died of old age already by the time we finish this.” She shook her head. “Let’s move on now, shall we? We also know at what time the murder took place. Now, from that we can conclude that anyone who doesn’t have an alibi for last night is a potential suspect.”

“I spent the night with Sakura,” Hina volunteered. “And we didn’t leave the room ‘cept to get a snack.”

“That proves nothing,” Byakuya said. “She could be your accomplice, and vice versa.”

Kyoko shook her head. “At this point, we’ve established one thing – either Celeste is the killer, or the accomplice. And there is only one accomplice in this case, correct?”

Monokuma seemed to consider this. “If, hypothetically, there _were_ an accomplice, which I can neither confirm nor deny… yes, there would only be the one.”

“Right. Therefore, we can say with near certainty that aside from Celeste, anyone who spent their entire time with even a singular person last night can be cleared.”

“I was with Chiaki,” Sayaka said. She smiled at the gamer. “We talked some things out, and by the time she went back to her own room it was pretty well past midnight.”

“I don’t got an alibi,” Mondo said. “I, uh… I was kinda stuck in the bathroom all night. Couldn’t even make it to my room. But I can sure as hell tell you I didn’t kill that chick.”

“I, as well, lack an alibi.” Taka hung his head. “I am very sorry I could not prove myself innocent!”

“Chihiro and me are each other’s alibis,” Junko said, checking her fake nails in an apparent complete loss of interest.

“I, like a reasonable person, had gone to sleep by that point,” Byakuya said.

“Well, I, for the first time in many aeons, had found an ally!” Hifumi said proudly. “Hiro and I were guarding the trash room and talking about Princess Piggles..”

Mondo squinted. “Princess what-in-the-actual-fuck?”

“I’m ashamed to be able to verify that,” Hiro said, ignoring Mondo. “Oh yeah, and Celeste came in at some point, to diss Hifumi I think. Totally killed his self-esteem. He made us leave right after.”

“Why were you guarding the trash room?” Sayaka asked, puzzled.

“W-well, it’s not like we could talk in one of our rooms!” Hifumi stammered. “I’ve seen enough yaoi to know how scandalous that could appear. And, well, there weren’t many other places to go. Besides, I could make sure nobody had managed to sneak in and dispose of any evidence! See? Responsible Keymaster!”

“Celeste and I had concluded our tea at that point,” Kyoko said. “I was in bed.”

Celeste giggled. “And I, of course, was assisting our murderer. As I keep my door partially opened at night so that I can hear if anything such as this might happen – our agreement not to go out at nighttime is very important to me, after all – I heard the killer breathing heavily outside Toko’s room. When I left my room and encountered them, I offered to help them in order to make the case more interesting.”

_She keeps her door open? Holy crap, Celeste really is fearless._

“But how can that be possible?” Taka asked. “Everybody was either in their room or with someone!”

“Somebody’s lying, dumbass,” Mondo said.

Everyone eyed each other suspiciously. Kyoko, to their surprise, smiled. “This is excellent. We’ve narrowed our list of suspects down tremendously. It’s down to Celeste, Taka, Mondo, Byakuya, Hina, Sakura, and myself.”

“What?” Hina exclaimed. “But Sakura and me just said we were together!”

“You left the room at some point, therefore we can’t cross you off just yet.” Kyoko looked at her almost sympathetically. “I’m sorry, but we can’t leave any stone unturned.”

“Yeah…” Hina nodded dejectedly. “I guess that’s fair.”

“Now that we know this,” Kyoko said, “there’s one question I’d like to ask. How did the killer gain access to Toko’s room?”

“Easy,” Hiro said. “Toko **left her key lying around somewhere**. The killer found it, and –”

“That can’t possibly be it,” Chiaki said. “Kyoko found the key in Toko’s pocket.”

“Well, maybe the killer planted it there!”

“Why would they do that?” Kyoko asked. “Why wouldn’t they simply keep the key on them, especially if they thought they might need to get back inside at some point?”

“Well –” Hiro stuttered. “Then why was the door locked when Makoto and Junko got there?”

“Obviously, the killer locked it from the inside before they left,” Byakuya said. “To do that, all you have to do is open the door, step out, click the inside locking mechanism into place, and close the door. No key required.”

“Really?” Junko said, unimpressed. “That’s a pretty shitty mechanism if you can just shove the door shut while it’s still locked.”

Monokuma bared his teeth. “Hey, watch it!”

“But it’s possible,” Kyoko said. “That was one of the things I tested regarding the door. If you open it and lock it from the inside, you can still force it closed. The killer did this to prevent anyone from coming into Toko’s room and exposing their crime before they had disposed of the evidence, which they did with the key Celeste stole for them.”

“Okay, so…” Hiro said, but was interrupted by Celeste.

“I do not think you should try anymore. You are embarrassing all of us.”

“Hey!” Hiro looked genuinely wounded. “I can do what I want! So, _anyway_ , maybe the killer **picked the lock**?”

“Also impossible,” Chiaki said. “Kyoko tested that as well. The lock can’t be picked.” She swallowed. “The only possibility is that Toko let her killer inside herself.”

Kyoko nodded. “Which, of course, seems ridiculous. Toko didn’t like or trust a single one of us.” She paused. “But maybe… she had no other choice.”

“Whaddaya mean?” Mondo asked.

“Maybe,” Kyoko said, “she was injured.”

“What?” Hifumi asked. “Come on. That’s a stretch. If she was injured, **why didn’t she just try to fix it herself**?”

“She did,” Chiaki said quietly. “Remember the gash on her leg? It looked like it was bleeding pretty heavily before she died. And remember the tangled sewing kit, and the way the wound was half-sewn shut?”

“So what, did she try to do it herself?” Hiro asked, confused. “But then, why would she leave her room?”

Kyoko’s answer was simple. “Because she _couldn’t_ do it herself. She likely left the room to go to the nurse’s office and find a bandage instead.”

“Well, why didn’t she just do that in the first place?”

“You saw that wound,” Kyoko said, then winced at her own mistake. “Well, you didn’t, but it was extremely deep. A bandage likely wouldn’t be enough to stop the bleeding, and I doubt she knew how to make a tourniquet. Since all the girls were given sewing kits on the first day, she decided that would be a better option.”

“But wait… weren’t there two sewing kits at the scene?” Makoto asked.

“Exactly!” Kyoko looked satisfied, like she’d been waiting for someone to ask that. “She must have bumped into someone while she was trying to find a bandage, and she let them into her room to stitch her back up. However, upon seeing how the thread in Toko’s sewing kit was tangled beyond usability, the killer must’ve gotten their own. And, since the boys were given toolkits instead…”

It took a second for Chiaki to get it. “The killer must be a girl!”

“Exactly,” Kyoko repeated. “That means the only viable suspects are myself, Hina, Sakura, and Celeste. We can rule out Celeste because, due to the paint drying on her nails, it would’ve been impossible for her to handle something as delicate as stitching a wound without ruining them even more. Even if she’d repainted them before the morning, there would be black smudges like the one on the key everywhere. And, well, of course I can rule myself out, but I doubt the rest of you would believe that.”

“So we’re down to three suspects now…” Chiaki said. _Could we actually survive this?_

“So, what happened is, whoever killed Toko told her she’d fix up her leg, went into her room, and killed her?” Leon asked. He nodded. “Yeah! **The second they got there** they fought her, eventually knocked her out, and stabbed her until she died!”

Chiaki closed her eyes. _That sounds right, but… is it?_ “No,” she said finally. “It can’t be.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“The stitching on her leg was pretty impressive,” Chiaki explained. “Toko wouldn’t have needed to ask for help if she were capable of doing something like that. The killer must’ve actually started to fix her up.”

“Huh?” Leon tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. “But… why would they do that?”

“Maybe… killing her was an accident?” Hifumi suggested.

“Are you serious?” Leon snorted. “No way does somebody get stabbed twenty times in the chest by accident. No, whoever did this had a serious grudge. So why would they start to help her?”

“Oh!” Hiro looked up sharply. “I know! Maybe they got possessed by a demon in the middle of helping her!”

“I feel sorry for you,” Celeste said.

Hina shook her head. “Maybe… oh, wait! I think I’ve got it! Maybe they had to wait for Toko to let down her guard!”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Hiro asked.

“Well,” Hina said excitedly, “you know how distrusting Toko was? Maybe she was holding a pair of those scissors the whole time they were helping her, ready to slit their throat if they made one sudden move! They had to pretend to care about her until she got comfortable enough to put them down! Then they punched her, knocked her out, and stabbed her with her own scissors while she was asleep!” She nodded to herself. “Yeah, that must be it. **The murder was totally intentional**!”

 _It… kind of makes sense. But…_ Something struck Chiaki then. “What about the throat wounds?”

“Huh?” Hina looked at her, curious. “What about ‘em?”

“Yes…” Kyoko said slowly. “The angle of the cuts would be consistent with someone falling on them.” She shook her head. “But how would that happen?”

“Maybe they actually grabbed the scissors first, she fell on ‘em trying to get them back, cut her throat open, and then they knocked her out?” Hina suggested.

“No, with a cut that deep, she’d be out of commission very quickly anyway. There would be no reason to punch her. And besides, that’s impossible, since there was clearly an altercation beforehand.”

“Well… maybe the punch wasn’t enough to knock her out?” Hina suggested. “Maybe she started fighting, the killer held the scissors out in front of them in self-defense, and Toko fell on them? But that wasn’t enough to kill her, so the murderer stabbed her until she died?”

Kyoko paused. “Hina,” she said slowly, “you're probably right. But that’s oddly specific. Are you sure it’s just a guess?”

“What?” Hina asked, shocked. “Yeah, totally. I mean – it was just a logical suggestion.”

“You said one of you left to get a snack,” Kyoko continued. “Was it you or Sakura?”

Hina blinked. “It was me, but –”

“Sakura,” she said, cutting her off. “Did Hina return with anything?”

“Well, no,” Sakura admitted. “But I did tell her I wasn’t hungry, and she was gone for at least twenty minutes. She must’ve made herself something and eaten it in the dining hall.” A look of horror dawned on her face. “Hina… you didn’t –”

“No!” Hina shouted. “What, are you crazy? **I had no reason to kill Toko**! Why would I?”

Something clicked in Chiaki’s mind. “Didn’t you and Toko have a pretty big fight the other day?”

“Well, yeah,” she admitted. “She…” Hina swallowed. “She was making fun of someone really important to me, and I got super upset. But that doesn’t mean I killed her!”

Kyoko stared ahead for a moment. Then she blinked, and a smug smile came over her face. “I see. I think I know what happened now.”

“You…” Hina was beginning to cry. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! I could never kill Toko! Besides, you don’t have any real proof!”

“No,” Chiaki admitted. “I don’t. But I do have something else. Sakura?”

She looked up. “Yes, Chiaki?”

“Could you elaborate on what you told me earlier, how Hina came back looking strange?”

“What?” A mortified expression came over Hina’s face. “No! Don’t!”

Sakura looked around, unsure of what to do. “Um…”

“Sakura,” Chiaki said gently, “I know Hina is your friend. But we’re trying to save everyone’s lives here. If you don’t tell us, she could die, along with all the rest of us.”

Sakura closed her eyes. “Very well. When Hina came back to my room, she was only wearing underwear and a tank top.”

“Permission to punch the fatass in the face before he can say anything?” Mondo asked.

“Eek!” Hifumi held his hands up. “All my love is for 2-D, I swear! But…” He began to salivate. “Two girls, one caught in such a compromising position… such potential…”

Hina buried her face in her hands. “This is why I didn’t want you to tell anyone,” she said, her voice muffled.

“Interesting.” Kyoko nodded. “And why exactly was she like this?”

Sakura looked down, blushing. “She told me she’d gotten her period, and her pants and jacket were so ruined from trying to mitigate the bleeding that she had to throw them away… there was a little blood on her underwear, so I didn’t question it. She had left her key in my room, so she needed to come in to get back to her room and change.”

“Well…” Leon said hesitantly. “I mean, if there was blood on her… y’know… then that settles it, right? I mean, where else would she have –” He looked over at Kyoko, who was giving him a knowing stare, and his jaw dropped. “ _Please_ tell me you did not rub dead girl blood on your –”

“Leon!” Junko said, shocked. “Seriously disgusting.” She looked at Hina, seeming intrigued. “But seriously, though, did you?”

“You can’t do this to me,” Hina sobbed. “You don’t have any proof. I mean, I – I didn’t –”

“Did you notice anything else strange, Sakura?” Kyoko asked.

“Well… there was one thing.”

“STOP!” Hina screamed. “YOU CAN’T!”

Sakura closed her eyes. “She had blood on her hands and legs as well.”

The room fell silent.

“Wait,” Hiro said, “I’m confused. Why didn’t she just wash off?”

“Are you an idiot?” Byakuya asked. “The showers shut off at night.

“She could’ve always used the sinks in the bathroom.”

“But she couldn’t,” Chiaki said, realizing just as she said it. “Because Chihiro and Sayaka were in the women’s room, and Mondo was in the men’s. Even if Mondo was in a stall, there was always the chance he might walk out at any second, or see through the cracks in the door.”

“I admit I was a bit concerned,” Sakura said, “but she told me she’d just had a lot of trouble cleaning up, and, well, I believed her.”

Hina looked up at her friend. “Sakura…? Do you not believe me either?” She hugged her sides. “I… I can’t believe you’d all turn against me like this.”

_It’s not like we want to. We want to believe in you, Hina. But… with all the evidence we’ve got…_

“Hina. If you really killed Toko… please tell us. There’s no point in dragging this out. It’ll only cause more pain for everyone.” Chiaki looked into her eyes.

Hina hesitated, then _glared_.

“No! I didn’t do it! It’s… it’s not my fault Toko’s dead! It’s not my fault!” She covered her ears with her hands. “You can’t… I didn’t mean… there’s no way…”

“Hina,” Kyoko asked quietly. “What didn’t you mean?”

“JUST SHUT UP!” she screamed. “EVERYONE SHUT UP! I need to get out of here! I can’t die here! I won’t let you all kill me!”

“To be honest, I’ve known for a while now,” Kyoko said. “I just needed that last bit of evidence to confirm it. And, well… here we are.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Hina yelled. “There’s no evidence because it _didn’t happen._ **You don’t have any proof**!”

Chiaki could feel something sliding into place in her mind. “The numbers we found behind Toko’s body,” she said. “01114.”

“What?” Hina asked, her voice numb.

“I didn’t notice before,” she said slowly, “because I’m used to using a keyboard, and the 4 looks different on there. But…”

Kyoko finished for her. “Rotate the image 180 degrees.”

h i n a

Hina backed up. “No… no…”

“She wrote that with her dying breath,” Kyoko continued. “Maybe you were too caught up in the moment to notice, or maybe she had blocked it with her body too well. But she wrote that while leaning up against the wall. In that position, the numbers – or, rather, letters – would be inverted.”

Hina clutched her head. “No… no… NO!”

She _glared_ , so intensely that the people standing across from her stepped back. She almost didn’t look human. “You can’t pin this on me! Those are just a bunch of random squiggles!”

“Random squiggles that Toko used her last moments to write.”

“She must’ve been just moving her wrist around randomly! She was stabbed a ton of times! Maybe she was just jerking around a lot!”

“Hina, please… just confess. It’ll be easier for everyone if you confess,” Chiaki said, trying to sound empathetic. In reality, though, her heart was pounding with rage. _This girl… this girl who’s been nothing but nice since we got here… she killed one of her friends._

“NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“Chiaki,” Kyoko said. “If you would, go over these events from the beginning, and end this. For all of our sakes.”

Chiaki nodded firmly. _I have to do this. For Toko, and for all of us._

“It started with Toko sitting in her room. Somehow, possibly from using her scissors, she cut her leg open. She tried to sew it shut but found that she couldn’t. As she left the room, the killer came out to get a snack. They noticed Toko bleeding and offered to help, seeing that this was their chance. However, Toko refused to lower her guard until they were already halfway done stitching up the wound. The moment they did, though, they punched Toko in the face, expecting it to knock her out. It didn’t. It only enraged her. She went on the attack, throwing scissors at their head, all of which missed and embedded themselves in the wall. Somehow, the killer managed to grab their own pair of scissors, and when they held them out in front of them, Toko leaned forward, probably to slit their throat herself, and had her own throat cut.

“Knowing that they had already gone too far, the killer decided to put Toko out of her misery by stabbing her in the chest until she died. However, as this was happening, Toko managed to write her killer’s name on the wall behind her. Not noticing this, the killer opened the door, locked it from the inside, and closed it again, effectively locking themselves – and everyone else – out of the room.

“Leaving the room, they encountered Celeste, who was able to tell what had happened instantly. She offered to assist them by stealing the key to the trash room from Hifumi so that the killer could dispose of their bloody clothes. She did so, leaving behind only a telltale smudge of black nail polish, and once Hifumi and Hiro had left the trash room, the killer slipped in, took off their clothes, and burned them.

“But there was one problem – the blood on their body. Since the showers shut off at night, the killer couldn’t wash the blood off. They tried to use the sinks in the bathroom, but, since both the men’s and women’s rooms were occupied, they found they couldn’t. Instead, they were going to return to their own room to change, but couldn’t, since they had left their room key in Sakura’s room.

“After obtaining the room key, they changed their clothes and went to sleep, showered in the morning, and went to the dining hall like nothing was wrong. However, when Makoto and Junko went to check on Toko, they found her dead.

“Isn’t that right… AOI ASAHINA?”

The room went deathly quiet. Everyone waited for Hina’s reaction.

She stood there, shaking.

And laughed.

“Yeah. You’re right. I did it. I killed Toko Fukawa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnn! (Yes, I know, I'm a massive dork.)  
> To anyone who really loves Hina and was hoping for her to survive: I love Hina too. She's freaking great. But, as I've said before and will probably say again, this is Danganronpa. Rule #1 is don't get emotionally attached, because your favorites are going to die. She had to die for the sake of the story.  
> God, I'm really nervous about how this is going to be received.  
> Hope this chapter didn't come off as clunky or weird. I mean, it probably did (as I keep reiterating, this is a totally new concept for me), but hopefully it didn't. Next chapter is the execution!


	12. Chapter One: Deadly Life Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's... PUNISHMENT TIME!

“Puhuhuhuhu…” Monokuma’s voice, cutting through the silent tension. “Looks like we’ve reached a verdict! Now then, are we ready to cast our votes? Just pull the lever in front of you to make your selection! Oh, and make absolutely sure you vote for someone, ‘cause if you don’t… you’ve got a PUNISHMENT coming your way!”

Unable to do anything else, the students reached forward and selected a classmate.

“Okay!” Monokuma clapped his paws. “Let’s get excited! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What’s it gonna be, what’s it gonna beeee?”  
A casino-style interface showing icons of every student began to spin. They stared. Slowly, painfully slowly, it stopped with all three slots displaying Hina’s face.

“Oh no…” Monokuma said.

Kyoko tensed up like she was about to make a break for it. Chihiro swayed on her feet, looking like she was about to faint.

“Looks like you got it right on the money! The blackened in this case, the murderer of poor, innocent Toko, was none other than Aoi Asahina!”

At once, everyone seemed to relax. Even Hina. She actually chuckled. Even as tears streamed down her face.

“I’m…” She cleared her throat and started again. “I’m really sorry. I can’t believe I almost killed all of you. But…” She looked down. “I can’t say it wouldn’t have been worth it.”

Chiaki looked at her like she was seeing her for the first time. “Did… did you really want us all dead that badly?”

“Oh, no, no,” Hina assured her. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just… my brother…” She shivered. “What I saw in that video… I needed to make sure Yuta was okay. I needed to, no matter what it took.”

“Hina…” Sayaka stepped forward. “I understand. I… I would do anything for the people in my video, too. If it hadn’t been for Chiaki, I think I really might have.”

“And, you know…” She laughed bitterly. “It’s not like Toko really gave me any other choice. Things… didn’t play out exactly like you said. Do you know what happened? Do you know why I punched her?”

**_Hina hummed to herself as she stepped out into the hall. What did she feel like having? Donuts, probably. She loved donuts._ **

**_Something caught the corner of her eye. It was Toko, hesitantly stepping out of her room. “Oh, hey Toko!” Hina said as cheerfully as she could. “Getting a snack too?”_ **

**_As Toko glared at her, Hina noticed that her uniform was cut. Looking closely, she could see blood dripping out from beneath it. “Oh my God! Are you okay?”_ **

**_“Yes!” Toko spat. Then, a much more reluctant “no…_ **

**_She noticed thread trailing from the wound. “Did you try to stitch it up?”_ **

**_“Y-yeah,” Toko muttered. “But… I c-couldn’t. E-even if I knew how to s-sew, I… I c-can’t look at b-blood without p-passing out.” She glared. “W-why do you care?”_ **

**_Hina considered the situation. Given everything Toko had said about her brother, it would probably be karma if she just left her to bleed out. But as much as she tried to hide it, she could tell Toko was in pain, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I can stitch you up if you want, you know.”_ **

**_“R-really?” Toko almost smiled but caught herself. “O-of course_ you _would have s-such a stereotypically g-girly hobby.”_**

**_She bit back an offended ‘what’s that supposed to mean’. Toko was her classmate, her classmate was hurting, she needed to help her classmate. “You still have your sewing kit from the first day, right?”_ **

**_“Y-yeah, but I k-kind of tangled up all t-the thread.”_ **

**_Hina nodded. “Okay, I’ll get the one from my room.”_ **

**_Once she had done that, stitching Toko up was easy. The problem was Toko herself._ **

**_“Ugh, d-don’t press your boobs in my f-face. You’re d-disgusting.”_ **

**_“Huh?” Hina looked down. “Oh, sorry! Didn’t think I was.”_ **

**_Toko snorted. “Of c-course you didn’t t-think you were. Y-you never t-think, do you? B-because you’re s-so busty and t-thin. Y-you don’t h-have to think.”_ **

**_Hina took a deep breath._ Almost halfway done. Just a little bit more, and you can get back to powdered donuts in bed with Sakura. _She pointedly ignored Toko._**

**_“S-so,” Toko said after she had gotten tired of insulting Hina, “h-how’d you get so g-good at this, anyway?”_ **

**Holy crap, an actual valid question. _“I used to do this for my brother all the time,” she said, smiling at the memory but unable to stop her eyes from welling up with tears at the same time. “Before we started winning competitions and stuff, and got enough money to afford real doctors. Yuta’s on the track team, but he’s kind of clumsy, so he’d get scraped up pretty bad.”_**

**_“W-was on the track t-team, more like,” Toko muttered._ **

**_Hina looked up slowly. “What did you say?”_ **

**_Toko snickered. “Y-yuta this, Yuta that. Y-your stupid little b-brother was in your m-motive video, right?”_ **

**_“Yes.” Her blood was beginning to boil._ **

**_“F-figured. You w-won’t shut up about h-him. A-anyway, i-if your video w-was anything like m-mine, you’re n-never seeing him again.”_ **

**_“No…” Hina dropped the thread in her hand. “No, I will. I’m gonna get out of here and see him again and prove Monokuma wrong!”_ **

**_“G-god,” Toko said, her tone completely unapologetic, “if he’s as s-stupid and naïve as y-you, he probably d-d-deserved to die.”_ **

**_And that was when she snapped._ **

**_Before she knew what was happening, Toko was lying on the floor unconscious with a black eye. “Oh,” Hina said in a small voice. “I – I didn’t mean to –”_ **

**_Suddenly, Toko sprang to her feet again. But she looked… different. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, and her eyes were wild. “Huh?? Who are you?” she shouted in a grating, abrasive voice completely different from her normal one as she pointed a finger accusingly at Hina._ **

**_“T-toko?” Hina stammered._ **

**_The girl vaguely resembling Toko glanced down at her leg. “Huh? You did this to me, didn’t you, boobs?”_ **

**_“What?” Hina would’ve been angry if she weren’t so concerned. “Toko… what’s going on? You did that yourself… remember?”_ **

**_‘Toko’ hissed. “I usually only kill cute boys… ugh, but it’s been so_ long _, and you’re just so_ annoying _… for you, I’ll make an exception!”_**

**_The next thing Hina knew, a pair of scissors were flying at her face. And then another, and another._ **

**_Hina screamed and stepped back, looking around wildly for any way out. Ducking another pair of scissors, she noticed an already bloody pair lying on the floor. Not having the time to think, she grabbed the scissors and held them out, open, in front of her, closing her eyes and preparing for the end._ **

**_Toko lunged, and –_ **

****

“And by then, it was too late,” Hina finished. Her tears were beginning to dry up. “Just… there was so much _blood,_ and her screams were so loud, and the cuts were so _deep_ … I decided to…” She swallowed. “Well, it was killing two birds with one stone, really. Putting Toko out of her misery, and getting a chance to see Yuta again.”

“Wait, back up, back up,” Hiro said. “What the heck happened with that creepy amnesia thing? Like, where did that even come from?”

Hina shrugged helplessly. “Maybe… she had a split personality or something?”

“Ding ding ding!” Monokuma chimed in. “Congratulations, you’re absolutely right! Toko Fukawa had a split personality that was, in fact… pause for dramatic effect… Genocide Jack!”

Chiaki could almost hear crickets.

Monokuma sighed. “Genocide Jack? Helloooo? The very murderous fiend you all were discussing just a few days ago? You kids and your short attention spans, have you seriously forgotten already?” He shook his head. “Well, you don’t have to believe me. You’ll find evidence soon enough. In the meantime, though…” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “How does it feel, huh? To know that one of your precious friends committed murder for such a stupidly sympathetic reason, and now she’s going to die for it? Doesn’t that just fill you with despair?”

Chiaki looked up. And glared. “Of course not! Because Hina was forced to do all this! All this… it’s all your fault!”

Monokuma backed away in mock terror. “Ooh, don’t hurt me, Gamer Girl!” He laughed, and Chiaki wasn’t sure why until he said something that made her blood run cold. “Now then, since you so magnificently revealed the identity of the killer… the blackened, Aoi Asahina, will receive her punishment!”

They expected Hina to argue. They expected her to fight back. Instead, she wiped her eyes and gave a shaky smile. “Well… I guess this is it for me. Bye, everyone. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but… it’s been really great, meeting all of you. You seem really awesome. And please… don’t make the same mistake I did. Get out of here together for me, okay?”

Chiaki had sworn she would never forgive whoever had killed Toko. But now, looking at this tear-stained girl resigning herself to her fate… “Monokuma, Toko attacked her. It was self-defense. That doesn’t count!”

“Come on, Chiaki.” Hina’s tears were starting up again. “I threw the first punch. I was the one who killed her when there was some small chance she could’ve been saved. I don’t want to die, but… this is what I deserve. It’s my fault Toko’s dead.”

“No. It’s _his_ fault.” She pointed at the bear. “He’s the one making us do all this!”

“Uh-oh! Have you awakened to your sense of justice? I’m trembling in fear!” He laughed. “But seriously, let’s skip past all this touchy-feely stuff and get to what everyone is waiting for – the punishment!”

“Hey, guys?” Hina said. Tears swam in her eyes. “When you get out of here… could you say hi to Yuta for me? Tell him…”

“Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro!”

“Tell him I’m really sorry I couldn’t be there for him, but…”

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got!”

“Tell him I love him, okay?”

“It’s… PUNISHMENT TIIIME!”

“I promise,” Chiaki whispered.

And Hina smiled.

They watched, feeling cold and detached, as Monokuma raised a gavel and used it to hit a button in front of him. An animation played on the screen below it – Hina being dragged away on a chain by Monokuma. **GAME OVER,** it read. **HINA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!**

A metal collar wrapped around Hina’s neck, the chain on the end of it dragging her down a long, dark tunnel. When she reached the end, the chain unlatched, and she blinked, trying to get her bearings. She was on… a diving board? Yeah, a diving board, overlooking a long, thin pool. And just above the pool… piranhas. Dozens upon dozens of piranhas.

A Monokuma pushed her into the pool, and the ceiling slid shut behind her.

SHARK TANK*

*Monokuma Note: more accurately, piranha tank, which are basically like tiny little sharks anyway

When Hina finally managed to get her head above the water, the first thing she noticed was a timer flashing at the end of the tunnel. 10… 9…

It only took her a second to realize that it was counting down the time until the piranhas would be released. There was a glowing light below the timer that she could only assume was the exit. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate…

Her eyes snapped open. _No! I know I said I deserve this, but… I don’t want to die! Not yet! I have… I have to see Yuta!_

She took off for the exit, pushing against the water with everything she had. 7… 6…

Halfway there. She stopped to glance at the timer, but made the mistake of gasping for air while she did so, taking in a mouthful of chlorinated water. She spat it out and kept swimming. 4… 3…

She could see it. Dry land, just a few meters away from her. 2… 1…

She grappled with the slippery cement, desperately trying to pull herself up.

…0.

At once, the ceiling opened up, and the piranhas were on her. She had managed to pull herself onto land up to her stomach at this point, but they latched onto her legs, slowly gnawing away at her flesh.

Screaming, she dragged herself onto the cement. Through the pain and the fear, she could feel a sliver of triumph. _I did it! I survived!_

The piranhas flopped onto land next to her. As they got closer, Hina saw that they were mechanical, with little gears moving their fins and one jagged red eye.

And that was the last thing she ever saw.

A gate opened, and the class was able to stare at the pile of flesh and bones that had used to be their friend. The pile of flesh and bones that had once been a kind, well-meaning girl named Aoi Asahina.

Chihiro stumbled away and threw up.

What they had seen was the true face of despair. Nobody could deny its power. Nobody could even attempt to counter it. It was just simply there, all-consuming.

Only one face didn’t look horrified.

“Woohoo! Extreme!” Monokuma popped up amid the crowd of shocked and disgusted students. “Nothin’ gets the blood pumping like a good-old fashioned execution, right? I’m sure our former athlete would agree!”

Chiaki’s face was completely pale. She had nothing to say. No words could rally the group together after that.

“Why…?” Makoto whispered. “Why would –” Before he could finish his sentence he ran off the way Chihiro had gone.

“You…” Mondo’s face contorted in horror, then rage. “You stupid fucking bear! I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Puhuhuhu… is it really _me_ you should be angry at? After all, wasn’t it one of you who decided she just couldn’t resist the call of the outside world?” Monokuma cackled. “Then again, if you really knew what was going on out there, you’d be thanking me!”

“Is that so?”

Kyoko was one of only two composed faces in the entire room. “There must be some deeper meaning there… just like before.”

“Huh?” Monokuma shook his head. “Nuh-uh! No deeper meaning anywhere! It’s all just despair…”

“Really?” Kyoko asked. “Then there was no deeper meaning when you said ‘let’s get to what everyone is waiting for’? Who is ‘everyone’, exactly?”

“Hmm,” Celeste, the other composed face, said with a smile. “Yes, yes. I too am very curious to know.”

“Uh-oh, did I say that out loud?” Monokuma put his paws to his mouth. “Sorry, but I’ve said everything I’ve got to say!”

And, just like that, he disappeared.

Even after he was gone, Chiaki stood there, paralyzed. Everyone did. Even Celeste didn’t move an inch.

_What we’ve seen today… I know it would be so much easier to just let it go._

_But I won’t._

_I’ll carry these memories with me for the rest of my life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OwO what's this?? A slightly ridiculous, slightly boring execution recycling a death from V3?? So unoriginal! I love it! (To be fair I originally had a much more ridiculous execution in mind that I threw out at the last minute, so you're lucky you're not getting that.)  
> And with that, Chapter One draws to a close. Feel free to leave a hate comment and unsclubscribe. I FEED ON NEGATIVE ENERGY  
> (Yeah in case you can't tell I had way too much coffee today, Lord forgive me for this entire end note is a sin)  
> Also I've just started writing Chapter Two Deadly Life, but I still need to fill 5 FTEs, so if there's any character you want to see Chiaki interact with comment that character and I'll probably add their FTE to the story. That is, in the event that you didn't stop reading this after the OwO, which I wouldn't blame you for. (If not enough people comment characters I'll just end up adding the ones people did comment and doing whatever the fuck I want for the rest, you have been warned)  
> Warning: as I've been writing Chapter Two my sanity has been slowly descending into absolute chaos and I'm pretty sure Chapter Three is where I'll lose it altogether, so some parts of Chapter Two may feel like a bit of a clusterfuck. Consider yourself warned.


	13. Chapter Two: Boy's Life of Despair (Daily Life Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tour guide voice* And if you look to your left, you'll see the point where the author loses all confidence in their writing and collapses into a pile of inconsistent confusion!  
> Yeah. I feel much less confident about this chapter than the last one. Proceed at your own risk, because this is probably garbage. Then again I've said that about this whole thing and it's actually been really well-received thus far, so who knows.  
> Requests for FTEs are still open. If you've already commented a character, feel free to do so again with a different one you want to see because quite frankly I don't think anyone else cares enough about this to do it. Not that I blame them. I've still got two or three slots open, but keep in mind if I end up with too many I'll probably end up prioritizing new FTEs over characters I've already done. Doesn't mean I'll never get around to your requests, just means they might not happen right away.

Chiaki stared at the ceiling and cried.

After the class trial, Monokuma had told them he’d dispose of the corpses. She had seen it for herself walking past Toko’s room. The door was still broken down, caution tape secured over the entrance instead, but Chiaki had been able to see in. Her body was just… gone.

It made sense. They couldn’t exactly go on with their lives with dead bodies strewn around the school. But… in a way, the instantaneous disposal was almost worse than leaving them to rot.

_Toko is gone. Hina is gone. Like they never even existed._

If they had gotten a proper burial, or even some ritual for their surviving classmates to say goodbye, maybe it would’ve been better. But no. It had just happened, anticlimactically and unceremoniously. Like picking up trash.

_I don’t think I’ll ever get over what’s happened. But I think I can at least pull myself together now enough to meet up with the others._

She stumbled into the dining hall. “Sorry I’m late, guys.”

“Totally fine,” Hiro said. “I think we’re all pretty shaken up.”

“Yeah… that’s an understatement.” Chihiro still looked sickly.

“Just…” Junko looked down. “I kinda wish he left the bodies, you know? Just for a little while longer. So we could, like, say goodbye and junk.”

Taka laughed. “Well, I for one am glad he disposed of the bodies! I imagine it would be pretty hard to relax with rotting corpses lying around!” Chiaki elbowed him. “Oh, am I misreading social cues again?” he asked, concerned. She nodded. “My apologies, everyone!”

They stood around, waiting. After a moment they realized what it was they were waiting for. Hina, telling them all to cheer up, reassuring them that everything was going to be fine.

_But… Hina is gone._

“Right.” Chiaki nodded, trying to force herself to be confident. “Everything is going to be fine, everyone. We’ll get past this. We… we might have lost some people, but… that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t get out of here all right! We just need to work together!”

“Is that honestly supposed to make us feel better?”

Chiaki glared. There was only one person a comment that cynical and cold could have come from. “Byakuya. Just because we failed to save our friends once doesn’t mean we’re going to do it again, you know.”

Byakuya scoffed. “And do you really think ‘working together’ is going to fix things? We were already ‘working together’, and yet someone was still murdered. Anyone could betray us. Now that it’s happened once, it’s not a question of if it’ll happen again. It’s when.”

Puffing out her cheeks in the way she always did when she was frustrated (she had tried to break that habit after being told repeatedly that it was more adorable than intimidating but hadn’t managed to yet), Chiaki said, “Maybe. But the only reason any of that happened was because Hina let anger get the best of her. Not that I’m saying it was her fault, but if we can all keep a cool head and not let anything like that happen again, we’re going to fine.”

“Oh, _please_. You really think anger is the only reason someone would kill? Remember, that wasn’t the only thing driving that simple-minded fool. She wanted to see her brother again badly enough to murder.”

“Hey!” Junko snapped. “You don’t get to insult dead people! That’s wrong in, like, every possible way!” She thought about it for a moment. “Except Hitler. But this isn’t Hitler, this is a super nice girl who got killed in one of the most horrible ways I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot!”

Kyoko cut in before Byakuya could respond. “What do you mean by that, Junko? How many horrible murders have you seen?”

Junko looked startled. “I, uh – I watch a lotta horror movies and junk. And war footage, stuff like that. Gets hella gruesome.”

“Hmm.” Chiaki could almost see Kyoko making a mental note of that. “And I agree with you on one thing – it is extremely shameful to speak ill of the non-genocidal dead. But honestly, I have to side with Byakuya on the rest.”

Celeste nodded. “Exactly. Fighting a common enemy is not nearly so simple as it appears to be. If the mastermind truly managed to take Hope’s Peak, they are much more powerful than we suspected. Everything from Monokuma to the execution we just witnessed has been planned in excruciating detail.”

Kyoko looked away. “A logical statement, Celeste.”

“Hey, uh, are you okay, Kyoko?” Hiro asked. “You’re acting even more robot-ey than usual.”

“The word’s robotic, dumbass,” Mondo muttered to him. “Even I know that.”

“Are you done?” Byakuya asked. When nobody else spoke up, he continued. “I must say, it’s a relief to find two people in this godforsaken place that are willing to see reason. If we truly want to survive, our only option is to follow the rules. Meaning, the only option is to deceive your peers and win the game.”

“No…” Chihiro whimpered.

“No what?” Byakuya demanded.

Chihiro sniffed. “I… I don’t want to live if I have to kill someone else to do it! I don’t want to kill anyone else!”

“Hey, whaddaya mean anyone else?” Mondo asked. “You didn’t kill anyone.”

“Well, not technically. But… Hina died because we all voted for her, right?” Chihiro wiped her eyes. “We might as well have killed her ourselves!”

Kyoko shook her head. “You can’t do that to yourself. If we hadn’t voted for her we all would’ve died. It wasn’t just sacrificing one innocent person to save your own life; it was sacrificing one innocent person to save fourteen. It was the only viable option.”

“Yeah…” Makoto put a comforting hand on Chihiro’s shoulder. “We had no choice. I don’t even wanna think about what might’ve happened if we hadn’t voted. And in the end, Monokuma is the one who killed Hina! You can’t waste that anger on yourself! You gotta direct it right where it belongs – at the mastermind!” He pumped his fist enthusiastically.

_Ding dong, bing bong._

The face they were all sick of seeing popped up on the monitors, announcing that it was nighttime. Chiaki waited for it to shut off. It didn’t.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Monokuma said, just when the announcement was supposed to end. “It was totally obvious you guys are just trying to justify what you did. Now, pay attention and remember this! The burden of judging others is a heavy one to _bear_. Order and stability rely on responsibility and sacrifice from everyone! Oh, yeah, and goodnight, I guess.”

“What. In the fuck. Was that,” Mondo said once the screen had shut off.

“I think he’s trying to pin the blame on us,” Hiro said. “Pretty cruel, man. Pret-ty cruel.”

“What a piece of shit…” Mondo muttered.

That was how their evening meeting adjourned. The day had drawn to a close.

But Chiaki had a sickening feeling that their despair had only just begun.

Kamukura Theater

“HOO BOY!” Junko spun around in her chair gleefully. “Our first execution, babyyy! Damn, I was startin’ to get nervous there. After Mucky-butt got murder-blocked by Chiaki, I thought maybe that little bitch would throw a cog into the whole thing. But no, despair marches on!” She frowned. “I mean, my precious Despairs seem to have turned against me from the reports I’ve gotten from my scout Monokumas, but that’s taken care of. I’ve sent an elite force. Point being, those dudes are completely and totally fucked!”

Izuru, on the other hand, couldn’t be less concerned.

Because Chiaki was alive. And as long as she lived, hope would persist.

“Uh, you guys?” Nekomaru shouted. “I think Junko’s figured us out.”

“Gee, ya think?” Ibuki asked as she bashed in a Monokuma’s head with her electric guitar.

Mahiru turned to the group urgently. “What do we have so far?” Hiyoko raised her hand. “And don’t say more anti-Mikan art; we’ve already established that doesn’t help anything.”

“Well,” Fuyuhiko said, examining the Google Doc they’d been editing, “here’s what we’ve got. Kazuichi uses his massive Monokuma-bot to storm the entrance. While that’s drawing the attention of the machine guns, Akane, Nekomaru, and Peko will climb the electric fence surrounding the school, and while Peko holds off any roving Monokumas, Akane and Nekomaru will break down the door with –” He squinted at the document. “A battering ram launcher? What the fuck is that?”

“You know,” Ibuki explained, backing into the abandoned building they had set up camp in, “like a grenade launcher, but with battering rams.”

“Oh, come _on_ , you guys!” Mahiru said. “I mean, using the Monokuma-bot makes sense, but how the hell are you going to climb an electric fence without getting yourselves killed? It’s an electric fence. And your big plan is to break down a freaking six-inch-thick iron door with something that _doesn’t exist_.”

“Aha!” A voice came from the outside, and Nagito looked up with something resembling fear on his face. “Told ya, Nagisa! Big Sis Junko is never wrong! I _told_ ya there were demons around here!”

The Warriors of Hope had arrived.

_Ding dong, bing bong._

Chiaki was almost ready to accept execution for smashing the monitor in her room if it would just make that obnoxious noise go away.

Monokuma’s normal morning announcement played. Then he told them all to gather in the gym. _Seriously? Ugh… I’m too tired for this…_

She didn’t want to go. But Monokuma was determined to involve them in his game. And with that… it began.

“Okay!” Monokuma instructed. “Lift your arms up and down!”

Taka started to comply, but Chiaki grabbed his arm and shook her head. “But… he is the leading authority in this situation,” he said, confused. “What kind of an Ultimate Moral Compass would I be if I disobeyed a direct command from him?”

“You know, technically he’s a murderer,” Chiaki reminded him. “What kind of Ultimate Moral Compass would you be if you _didn’t_ disobey him? Also, this is going to sound really rude, but I’m just going to give it to you straight – nobody else is doing this, and we’re all kind of dying of secondhand embarrassment for you.”

Taka gasped. “Yes… how could I make such an oversight? I apologize sincerely to all parties involved!”

“Aww, come on,” Monokuma whined. “With you kids cooped up inside, it’s important to stay in shape!”

“Good point!” Taka shouted. Chiaki gave him a look. “Oh… sorry.”

“Anyway,” Sakura said, “why did you call us all here? Certainly it wasn’t just to make us exercise.”

“Of course not!” Monokuma snapped, sounding personally offended. “You really think I have that kind of free time on my hands?” He shook his head. “No, I wanted to make an announcement. Every time you overcome a class trial, a whole new world will open up to you! I mean, how bad would it suck if you had to live here forever with no stimulation at all? So go ahead! Enjoy this beautiful new post-trial world until you explode!”

With that, he disappeared.

“Why didn’t he just make that announcement over the monitors?” Chiaki wondered. She yawned. “So sleepy…”

“Well, looks like we’ll have to search the school again!” Taka said. “So everyone split up, and when we’re done we’ll meet up in the dining hall and share our findings! Let’s get moving!” He nudged Chiaki, who had fallen asleep in the middle of his sentence. “That means you, missy! No slacking off from any of us! I simply won’t allow it!”

“Right…” She opened her eyes to see the group dispersing. “Right, got it.”

Makoto jogged up to her. “Hey, Chiaki! Want to pair up to search? It looks like everyone else is going off on their own, but, uh…” He blushed. “This is kinda embarrassing, but I don’t wanna explore any new areas alone. Who knows what’s gonna be there, you know?”

“I get it.” Chiaki gave him her patented gentle smile. “In exchange, you can make sure I don’t fall asleep again.”

“Totally.” They shook on it.

Walking around the school, they noticed that one of the gates blocking a stairway had opened up. “I guess we can get to the second floor now?” Makoto said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Chiaki said. “And Taka, Mondo, and a bunch more people have got the first floor covered, so… what do you say?”

Makoto gave her a determined nod. “I say we check it out.”

They climbed up the stairs to find a hallway with the same quiet, dreadful ambiance of the first floor. Makoto tensed up next to her, but nothing jumped out at them. He laughed sheepishly. “Guess there was nothing to be scared of, huh?”  
“We don’t know that,” Chiaki said, trying not to sound ominous and failing. “Let’s stick together until we’ve looked around some more, okay?”

He nodded. “Got it.”

After a cursory examination of the men’s and women’s rooms respectively, Makoto and Chiaki stepped through a door labeled ‘POOL’, where Sakura, Chihiro, and Celeste were standing. Sakura was looking at the entrance wistfully. “Hina would’ve loved this.”

Chiaki swallowed. Hina’s last words were ringing in her ears. _Tell my brother I love him, okay?_ “Yeah,” she said, trying to disguise the fact that she was becoming choked up. “She would’ve, wouldn’t she?”

Celeste smiled. _Does she have any mode other than ‘dignified happiness’?_ “This is excellent. Many amenities have been made available to us. I am not one for splashing around myself, but I am sure the less refined among us will enjoy this feature.”

Sakura glared at the ground. “What is the matter?” Celeste asked, feigning concern.

“You assisted Hina’s scheme,” Sakura said in a low, dangerous voice. “If it weren’t for you… she might still be alive.”

Celeste scoffed. “Please. Hina had already committed the murder when I ran into her. I simply helped her to cover it up.”

Sakura looked away. “You are right. I’m sorry. It’s just… she was the only person in this place who tried to approach me, who wasn’t too intimidated to talk to me. She made staying here far more bearable.”

“Oh, Sakura…” Chihiro said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Did you not only know each other for a few days?” Celeste asked. “I am surprised you are so upset by her passing. I, for one, welcome her sacrifice. It makes life far more comfortable for the rest of us.”

Sakura’s fearsome glare was back. “Why, you…”

“Hey.” Chiaki stepped in front of Sakura. “We can’t do this to each other. Sakura, I understand how you feel, but if you let anger control you, you might make the same mistake as Hina.”

Sakura took a deep breath and backed off. “I understand. Thank you, Chiaki.”

“And Celeste, I don’t think you have a right to say that kind of thing when you deliberately complicated the investigation and almost caused us to execute the wrong person.”

Celeste sighed. “Simpleton…”

Chiaki decided to let that one slide. “Chihiro… are you okay?” Chihiro had backed away, tears in her eyes. The programmer nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m sorry. Just… this whole situation is pretty intimidating.”

“Come on,” Chiaki suggested. “Let’s check out the pool.” She forced a smile. “We can go for a swim if you want. In Hina’s honor, you know?”

To her surprise, Chihiro shrank back. “N-no, it’s okay. I’m not really comfortable in a swimsuit.” She stared at the locker room doors. “I can’t even bring myself to go in…”

 _Is she… scared of locker rooms?_ Chiaki shrugged. “I guess I’ll check it out, then. Makoto?”

“Yeah. You check out the girls’ locker room, I’ll check out the boys’?”

“Not to be rude, but duh.”

Makoto laughed. “Yeah, I guess.” He examined the panel besides the boys’ locker room. “I guess you need your e-Handbook to get in…”

“Yup!” Monokuma announced cheerfully.

“Waaugh!” Makoto jumped back. “What the hell?”

“If you wanna unlocker the locker room,” Monokuma continued, completely steamrolling over Makoto, “you gotta swipe your very own handy-dandy e-Handbook! Oh, but obviously, only a boy’s handbook can open the boys’ locker room, and vice versa.”

“Oh…” For some reason, Chihiro looked bothered. “But… what if somebody opened the door with their handbook, and someone else snuck in?”

Monokuma gasped. “Who would commit such an indecency? I simply won’t allow it!” He pointed at the ceiling. “Anyone tries that, and they’ll get shot to pieces with this Gatling gun!”

“What if somebody loans their handbook to another student?” Celeste suggested. “Such as a girl loaning a boy her handbook, for example.”

“What?” Monokuma looked completely incredulous. “Such depravity! That hadn’t even occurred to me!” He grimaced. “Laws must be enacted! Rules must be enforced! From now on, it’s completely forbidden to loan your e-Handbook to another student!”

“I doubt anyone would do that in the first place,” Celeste commented.

“Why are you so concerned about all this, anyway?” Makoto asked.

“Because you teenagers are all sex-crazed maniacs!” Monokuma shook his head like that should’ve been obvious. “I have to maintain a rigorous watch! Oh, but you can go as hog-wild as you want in the dorms. I only care about protecting the good name of the school, so whatever you do in your own spaces is strictly your business.” He looked around. “I suddenly don’t feel like being here anymore! See ya!”

He disappeared.

“Guess we should check the locker rooms now,” Makoto said, eyeing the Gatling gun suspiciously.

In the girl’s locker room was a poster of a boy band and a lot of workout equipment. The pool area was similarly unremarkable. After just a few minutes of searching, Makoto and Chiaki decided to move on.

Heading further down the hall, the two of them encountered a library. They pushed the doors open to find Kyoko, Byakuya, Sayaka, and Hifumi, all engaged in some different activity. That wasn’t the first thing Chiaki noticed, though. The first thing she noticed was the laptop, sitting on what she assumed to be the checkout desk.

“It’s broken,” Kyoko said before she could get her hopes up. “I tried pressing the power button but nothing happened.”

Chiaki deflated. “Too bad…”

“Hey, guys!” Sayaka said. “What’s up?”

“Oh, hey, Sayaka!” Makoto said. “Just investigating. You?”

“Er, well…” She laughed awkwardly. “I _was_ investigating, but I kind of started browsing. All this stuff is super interesting!”

Chiaki looked at the book in her hands. “Woah. ‘Secrets of the Occult’?”

“Yeah…” Sayaka blushed. “I know it seems kinda weird, but I’ve always really liked this stuff. And I never really got to read about any of it, because my parents wouldn’t let any books about it in the house, and if I got seen in public reading about dark rituals and stuff it’d be a huge scandal. ‘Famous pop star has a secret dark side’, or something like that. But I should probably get back to investigating, huh?”

“We’ve got this covered,” Makoto assured her. “You can go back to reading about, uh… blood sacrifices.”

Sayaka laughed, and Chiaki found it impossible to believe this was the same girl that had almost split her skull open with a knife. “It’s actually way more complex than that, but sure. Blood sacrifices.”

While Makoto and Sayaka talked, Chiaki picked up a letter sitting on a nearby bookshelf. “Hey guys… check this out.”

“Oh –” Makoto said as she was about to open it. “We probably shouldn’t read someone else’s mail without permission.”

Kyoko gave him an _are you serious_ look and motioned for Chiaki to open the letter. And what was written there… “‘We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved’? Closure?”

“Wait…” Makoto said. He scrunched up his face. “Hope’s Peak is closed? That doesn’t make sense. It was clearly open when I got here!”

As the others discussed what this could mean, Chiaki felt a chill run down her spine. “Maybe this has something to do with… my missing memories…”

“What?” Kyoko looked up sharply. “What do you mean?”

“It’s like something in the back of my head I can’t get rid of,” Chiaki explained. “Like I have these memories of an alternate reality. I… I think I was in a whole different class at Hope’s Peak. I was the class rep, and…” Her head started to hurt. “I… I don’t remember anything past that. I’m sorry.”

Kyoko nodded slowly. “Interesting. Very, very interesting.”

“Well, anyway,” Makoto said, trying to lighten the tension that had fallen over the room, “it looks like we’ve investigated everything we needed to on the second floor. Let’s meet back up with the others, okay?”

Chiaki stared at the letter for a moment. “Yeah…”

_Come on, Chiaki! You have to remember!_

_Because… if these really are lost memories… it could help everyone escape. I could save all my friends._

_If I just had my memories, I could save everyone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I stole the whole 'sweet innocent character is super into the occult' thing from Sonia. But I do definitely headcanon her to like stuff like that, and I feel like in an Ultimate Talent Development Plan sort of universe Sayaka and Sonia would absolutely get together to talk about the occult and rituals and stuff. Plus, I think it works well with her character, and canon doesn't exactly give us much to work with in terms of her personality and interests. To put it simply: this is blatant idea theft and you can't stop me.  
> As always, feel free to comment if there's anything you think I could improve upon. I always appreciate constructive criticism. And non-constructive criticism, actually, because pointless negativity feeds my empty void of a soul.


	14. Chapter Two: Daily Life Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiaki absolutely destroys Byakuya, and Celeste, surprisingly, has feelings.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen!” As usual, Taka called everyone to order. “How’d it go? Any new discoveries?”

“There’s a library!” Hifumi shouted.

“And a pool,” Sakura added. “But nothing remotely resembling any way for us to escape.”

“Yeah…” Makoto looked down. “We didn’t find anything either.”

“Well, I, on the other hand, have made an amazing discovery!” Taka said. “Remember those closed-off rooms on the first floor, the warehouse and bathhouse? I am proud to report that both those areas are now open! And the warehouse is chock-full of food and supplies!”

“Yeah?” Mondo growled. “What about a fuckin’ way to escape, huh?”

“Er…” Taka didn’t have a response to that.

Mondo stomped his foot. “Seriously? Nothing in the warehouse that could help us get our asses outta here? _Nothing_?”

“U-unfortunately… no…” Taka stammered.

Mondo hung his head. “You fuckin’ people. Who gives a SHIT if we have all that other crap? What we need is a way out of this fucking school!”

“Careful,” Celeste warned. “If you do not adapt, you will be the next to die.”

“Yeah, like I’m gonna listen to the chick who almost got us all killed for her own damn amusement.”

Taka looked away, ashamed. “For now, let’s just… keep investigating, and let everyone know if you discover something.”

“Are we done?” Kyoko asked.

“Y-yeah, I guess…”

“Talk about hope-crushing,” Chiaki said to Makoto as they walked back to the dorms.

“Yeah, you can say that again. Still… I’m not giving up yet! We’re gonna get out of here no matter what!”

“Yeah, totally.”

As she was about to leave the dining hall, something caught her eye. Byakuya, standing in the corner of the room. He looked… silent. Almost dangerously so.

_You’re just being paranoid because you don’t like him very much. Let it go._

And so, reluctantly, she did.

The moment she got back to her room, she heard that insufferable sound again. _Ding dong, bing bong._ She tried to drown out Monokuma’s announcement, climbing into bed and closing to her eyes, trying to pretend she wasn’t in this utterly hopeless situation.

Trying to pretend that somewhere, deep down, a part of her hadn’t already given up.

Kamukura Theater

Junko was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

Izuru didn’t ask. He knew if he waited it out she would tell him eventually. Because Junko, as wild and spontaneous as she pretended to be, was just as hopelessly predictable as everything else in the world.

Well, everything except Chiaki. Everything except the spark of hope inside her.

“Hmmm….” Junko looked like she was about to burst. “Okay, fine, smartass! Since you won’t ask, I’ll just tell you. A new motive is coming up, and boy howdy, is it a _doozy_.” Her grin was more sadistic than ever. “And this time… oh, I’ve got _so_ many targets. So many juicy, embarrassing secrets just waiting to be revealed…” She licked her lips. “Who will be the first to fall? Chihiro the femboy? Mondo the murderer? Who knows, maybe something’ll surprise us, like Makoto the bed-wetter. Or maybe…” She leaned into the monitor, staring at one particular sleeping face. “Maybe it’ll be _them._ ”

Four massive robots loomed over the former Ultimate Despairs.

“Uh, guys?” Ibuki was aggressively pinching herself. “Y’all are seeing this, right? It’s not just me?”

“What the fuck is happening?” Fuyuhiko demanded.

The Monokumas appeared to be backing down – small comfort, given the absolute nightmares that were approaching them. “HEAR ME, HEAR ME!” A small boy’s voice, amplified by speakers, came echoing from the white and yellow robot. “I, Hero of the Warriors of Hope Masaru Daimon, hereby pronounce you totally screwed!”

“I thought we agreed I would address the demons?” the humanoid robot asked in a tired voice. “Junko said this was an extremely important matter.”

“All the more reason the leader should be in charge!” The robot seemed to grin as it looked down at the Ultimates. “Anyway! For the treason of betraying Big Sis Junko, I sentence you demons to death at the hands of the super awesome Warriors of Hope!”

“I’m just happy I was invited,” the blue robot said.

“Shaddup, Jataro. Nobody cares,” the yellow robot responded.

Nagito was staring up at the robots, despair beginning to swirl in his eyes again. “These are the Warriors of Hope,” he said. “I was held prisoner by them for a while. They must’ve followed me here. I’m really sorry, guys.”  
“Yes, but what _are_ they?” Byakuya demanded.

“They’re abused children kidnapped by Junko and brainwashed to do her bidding,” Nagito said simply. “They pilot those robots to murder adults, or ‘demons’, because they blame them for the trauma they’ve suffered.”

“Ohh, that’s fucked up,” Kazuichi whispered.

“Ah!” Nagito seemed to remember something. “How lucky! I brought some weapons from Towa City that would work on these things!” He ran back inside.

“If he runs away, I swear to God, I will feed him to those robots,” Mahiru said, her voice shaking.

He didn’t. A few moments later, he came running back, his arms full of… “Megaphones?” Fuyuhiko asked, confused. “The fuck are those for? Let’s just shoot ‘em.” He brandished a gun none of them had realized he’d been holding.

Nagito shook his head. “Look at those things. They’re too big to take down with an ordinary weapon. I don’t know how the megaphones work exactly, but they’re the only thing that can take down those robots. Unfortunately I only have a few.”

“Proceed with haste,” Gundham said ominously (though, to be fair, most things he said were ominous). “For the cold wind of death approaches.”

“Okay, okay!” Nagito laughed as if they were in a completely normal situation. “Here you go. Fuyuhiko, you’re clearly familiar with guns, and this isn’t so different. Peko, I know you’re a swordswoman, but your main goal is to keep Fuyuhiko safe, so you must’ve had some experience with ranged weapons.” Peko nodded. “Great!” Nagito exclaimed. “Ibuki, you’re just crazy enough to make risky moves that could give us an advantage. No offense.”

“None taken!” Ibuki said happily, grabbing a megaphone.

“And, ah…” Nagito looked at the last megaphone. “I don’t know if a nobody like me should really be entrusted with something this important, but –”

“ROBOT ROBOT ROBOT!” Ibuki screamed as Masaru’s mech came barreling toward her. She fired wildly at it to no avail.

“Well, I guess I’ll just take it,” Nagito sighed. As he hoisted his megaphone, his finger slipped, accidentally pulling the trigger. “Aw, man, just my luck.”

Fortunately, just as the robot was about to hit Ibuki, Nagito’s stray shot collided with its chest. It staggered back, short-circuiting.

“Oh!” Nagito laughed. “How lucky of me. I think I’ve found its weak point.”

Taking aim while the robot was still down, the four marksmen fired right at the robot’s chest. “Keep in mind that these have a limited charge,” Nagito shouted, “and I don’t think shots that aren’t aimed at its weak spot do damage. Conserve your ammo!”

“IBUKI!!!” Ibuki screamed, pulling the trigger at a rapid pace.

“Or not,” Nagito sighed.

The other three robots were hanging back. _They’re letting him have his turn,_ Nagito realized. _Just like that Thunderdome type thing they do. It’d be super easy to take us all out if they attacked at once, but they’re sticking to the rules of their game._

He smiled. Maybe they had a chance after all.

_Ding dong, bing bong._

Chiaki rubbed her eyes and slid out of bed, collapsing unceremoniously to the floor. Monokuma’s aggressively chipper voice came over the speakers, informing them that the school regulations had been updated. _Oh yeah… he must be talking about loaning your handbook to another student._

Pulling herself to her feet, Chiaki yawned and made her way to the dining hall. “’Morning, guys. Everyone here?”

“Nope!” Hiro said cheerfully. “Still waitin’ on Byakuya and Taka.”

“Taka’s not here?” Chiaki couldn’t help the fear that surged through her body. He was usually the first one to the dining hall.

“It’s fine,” Makoto said. “He’s probably just trying to get Byakuya up.”

“Well, while we wait,” Celeste said, “there is… one problem we need to address.”

“So get on with it,” Kyoko said coldly.

“I am thirsty.”

Everyone stared.

“Wait, that’s it?” Mondo said. “How the hell is that a problem? The kitchen is literally right there.”

“Hifumi,” Celeste said, ignoring Mondo, “would you make me some tea?”

Hifumi eyed her suspiciously. “Why? Trying to lure me into the kitchen so you can kill me, huh?”

Celeste sighed. “I am so sick of this distrust. I did not kill anyone. I simply helped to cover up a murder.”

“Which is exactly why you can’t be trusted,” Kyoko said. “You toyed with our lives, acting completely detached all the while. What fools do you take us for?”

“I see…” Celeste looked down. “Well, perhaps…”

In a second, her entire demeanor changed. It was like what they had seen at the trial, when she had gotten fed up with Kyoko’s suspicions. “BRING ME MY MILK TEA, YAMADA!” she shrieked.

Hifumi cowered before her. But it only took him a second to stand up straight again. “No,” he said. “Kyoko is right. I’m not going to do anything for you!”

And then, just as quickly, Celeste was back to her usual poised, graceful self. “I see. This is most unfortunate. It appears I will have to find my own ways to achieve comfort. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” With total dignity, she glided out of the dining hall.

_That… that’s never not worked before…_

For the first time since she’d arrived, Celeste was struggling to keep up her icy demeanor. She brushed past Taka in the hallway and slipped into her own room, trying desperately to keep her expression as she closed the door.

Just as graceful as ever before, she pressed on the door to ensure it was closed all the way, locked it, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

She was losing control and she hated it. She knew men like Hifumi. In the past, she had managed to manipulate them no problem. There was nothing particularly different about Hifumi. So why had he refused to comply with her one simple request?

Because she was dangerous.

Normally she could use this to her advantage. The danger of disobeying her was enough to motivate most men to obey her every need. She had thought that acting as an accomplice would bring her even more fearful respect.

Then again, she’d also thought acting as an accomplice would get her out of this hellhole, and, well, here she was.

Usually, Celeste had found, there was a balance between the terror and the intrigue that men felt towards her. She had tipped the scales too far. Now it was all terror, any intrigue outweighed by the idea that she might kill anyone at any moment.

“This isn’t fair,” Celeste sobbed. “This isn’t fair, this isn’t fair, THIS ISN’T FUCKING FAIR!!” She banged her fists against the wall, screaming at the top of her lungs, praying to wake up from this nightmare.

Because for all her talk of adapting, for her cool façade and her seeming lack of concern for human life, she was just as terrified as the rest of them.

“Bad news, everyone!” Taka shouted as he rushed into the dining hall. _Oh thank God_ , Chiaki thought. _I mean, the ‘bad news’ thing kind of sucks, but I’m glad he’s okay at least_. “There is a mystery afoot! Byakuya simply refuses to leave his room! I rang the doorbell over and over, but he didn’t respond even once!”

“Want me to break it down again?” Junko offered. She smacked a fist into the palm of her other hand. “I got a lot of pent-up aggression to take out on some innocent carpentry.”

“Maybe there’s no need to jump to that,” Makoto suggested. “Maybe he just… wasn’t there.”

“Yes, I would like to think so, but…” Taka didn’t need to finish. Everyone knew what might have happened to Byakuya.

Junko cracked her knuckles. “Alright! I mean, about me getting to break a door down, not Byakuya maybe being dead.”

“Hey, woah,” Makoto said. “Maybe this time we should just keep ringing the doorbell?”

Junko huffed. “Fine… I guess. No promises.”  
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Makoto told the group. “Everyone else should probably split up and look for him around the school.”

The crowd dispersed. Maybe it was stupid, but Chiaki still felt uneasy going off on her own. Then again, nothing bad had happened to them last time. And besides, Makoto was needed elsewhere. She could do this on her own. _Maybe he’s on the second floor? I’ll check there._

He wasn’t in the pool area. Or any of the classrooms. She even peeked into the men’s bathroom, but nothing. Just as she was starting to panic, she opened the door to the library to see – “Byakuya! You’re okay!”

Sure enough, he was sitting at a desk, reading a book. “Hey!” Chiaki said. “What are you doing?”

“I’m fishing. What does it look like I’m doing?”

Chiaki just barely realized he was being sarcastic before she could say _No you’re not._ “What are you doing here? We were all really worried something had happened to you! We’ve been looking all over!”

“Who asked you to do that?”

“W-well,” Chiaki stammered, “we all made a promise, remember? To meet up in the mornings and eat together!”

“A promise?” Byakuya stared at her, then rolled his eyes. “Honestly, can I not get a second of peace and quiet around here?”

The others, having heard her shout, started filtering into the library. “Byakuya!” Taka shouted when he arrived. “Just where have you been? Explain yourself immediately! We’ve all been extremely worried!”

“You had no reason to be. I was only reading.” He smiled. “This story, while… coarse… does provide some very interesting ideas.”

“A mystery novel?” Junko glared at him. “What, so you’re getting inspiration to murder us?”

“I’m sure that’s not it,” Makoto said, though he didn’t sound sure.

“Don’t be absurd. Of course not.”

“See?” Makoto said triumphantly.

“If I decide to make a move, of course I’m going to come up with something original.”

The smile dropped off Makoto’s face. “Uh… what?”

“A challenge such as this… it’s rare. I would be a fool to waste it.” His smile twisted, becoming something sickening. “If you’re going to play, you need to make sure it’s entertaining.”

“Hey…” Sayaka said. “You’re part of this too, you know. You might be the next one to end up dead.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, that’s not a threat or anything! I’m just saying –”

Byakuya scoffed. “I won’t die. It simply won’t happen. It’s not possible.”

Mondo screwed up his face in rage. “Who the fuck do you think you are??”

“You know,” Byakuya said, “I still can’t believe it.”

“Huh? What?”

He smiled again as he spoke. “That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long.”

You could hear a pin drop. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Mondo to react.

Then Chiaki snickered.

“Oh, for the love of God.” Byakuya turned to the girl. “You did this when we first arrived as well. My insults are cutting and severe and I will not let you undercut them with your misplaced laughter!” He shook his head. “You’re just beating a dead horse, you know that, right?”

“Actually, that one wasn’t so bad,” Chiaki admitted. “Just a little redundant, you know? And you’ve got to ease up on the melodrama if you want anyone to take you seriously.”

Byakuya’s face turned red. “I – I will not put up with being dragged down to the level of you… you… _idiots_!”

“That’s better,” Chiaki encouraged. “Keep it simple, you know?”

Byakuya paused, opened his mouth, thought better of it, and stormed out.

Deafening silence. Then Chihiro laughed. “He’s learning!”

“Heh.” Mondo leaned back, some of the tension gone from his face. “That guy has a stick so far up his ass you can see it when he talks.”

“Now _that’s_ a good insult,” Chiaki said appreciatively.

“But seriously, though,” Junko said once the laughter had died down. “We probably shouldn’t expect him at breakfast anymore, right?”

“Yeah,” Makoto agreed. “I mean, it sucks that he’s like that, but at least we know what to expect from him now.”

As people began returning to their rooms, Makoto pulled Chiaki aside. “Hey… so that whole thing with Byakuya… were you seriously trying to help him?”

“Kind of,” Chiaki admitted. She cracked a smile. “But mostly – and I know I shouldn’t say this about a classmate – I just hate him.”

Makoto grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I currently have a little over 50,000 words of this written, meaning that this fic has officially exceeded novel length. This is beginning to get ridiculous.  
> As always, feel free to comment any FTEs you want to see, let me know if there's anything you think I could improve, and seriously Byakuya's insults are so over-the-top and ridiculous I don't know how anyone actually gets offended by them in canon.


	15. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically just FTEs, and aside from some stuff with Class 77 it's pretty optional to the story. More plot in the next one, I promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (WARNING: COMPLETELY OFF-TOPIC AND ABSOLUTELY SKIPPABLE RAMBLING THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DANGANRONPA WHATSOEVER AND I'M INCLUDING ONLY BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS CHAPTER)  
> So uhh this is completely unrelated to anything and also several years late but GO WATCH GOOD OMENS IT'S AMAZING.  
> (Yes, I know you didn't come here to hear about my opinions on an Amazon Prime show that most people stopped giving a shit about several years ago. But goddamn it, I needed to rant about my adorable demon son and his angel husband to someone and my parents are completely sick of hearing about it and I don't really have friends, so this is happening, baby.)  
> I mean, the plot and most of the characters I could basically do without. But Aziraphale and Crowley are the best things to ever happen to humanity and you can't change my mind. Just two adorable celestial beings in a canon gay asexual relationship not necessarily explicit in the show but confirmed by the actors and co-author of the book it's based on, making it the perfect thing to watch if you're starved for wholesome LGBTQ+ relationships with negative amounts of toxicity. They are so soft and I love them more than anything. Plus it has an extremely wholesome fandom from what I've seen and a shitton of fanfic, including the only fanfiction that's ever made me sob uncontrollably the entire time I was reading it. It's called Repossession, the author is dreamsofspike, and it is without question the darkest, saddest, sweetest, most horrifying thing I've ever read in my life. If you can get past the fuckton of trigger warnings it is absolutely worth a read. It's one of the best fanfics I've ever read and I'm not exaggerating when I say I cried literally the whole time reading it. I consider myself a pretty desensitized person and have been to some very dark parts of the internet and I still had to skip massive chunks of it just because of how graphic and upsetting it got, which I honestly think is just a testament to how well-written it is. It's very dark and absolutely not for everyone, but if you've got a strong stomach and can handle things like rape, torture, and intense trauma, you should definitely read it.  
> Also the show has David Tennant yelling at houseplants, so that's a bonus.  
> In conclusion, I just spent way too long talking about something very few people reading this are going to give a shit about and should definitely not be allowed on this website.

_I’m tired already… but I can’t take even one day off! We’ve got to find some way out of here!_

FREE TIME

JUNKO

“Hey, Chiaki! Yeah, I’m free.”

Chiaki and Junko sat opposite each other in the dining hall. “Hey,” Junko said. “So… um…”

“What is it?”

Junko shook her head. “Nothing.”

They sat there in silence. “So,” Junko said again after a while. “What do you like most about being… you?”

Chiaki snorted. “What?” Junko asked, blushing. “It’s the best question I could think of. I’m not great at small talk.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

About thirty more seconds of awkward silence passed. “Oh!” Junko snapped her fingers. “I’ve got one! What kind of sports do you like?”

“Esports,” Chiaki said with no hesitation.

Junko sighed. “Yeah, I kinda figured. I meant _real_ sports.”

“Hey!” Chiaki said, suddenly defensive. “Esports are real sports. Just because they don’t involve running around and getting sweaty doesn’t mean they’re not valid!”

“Woah, sorry. Hit a nerve there, I guess.”

Chiaki sighed. “I hate it when people just brush off gaming. It’s not ‘just a hobby’ or ‘just for kids’. Games are my way of connecting with the world. They’re great for communicating messages, connecting with people, and just for fun. Plus, ‘real’ sports aren’t really my thing.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend you.” Junko looked down. “Like I said, I’ve never really gotten into that stuff, so I guess I just don’t understand.”

“Well, when we get out of here, I can show you some of my favorites,” Chiaki offered. “Once you’ve poured over 300 hours into Animal Crossing, you’ll get it.”

“Really?” Junko made a face. “People spend that much time on video games?”

“They’re a lot of fun!”

“Okay.” Junko held out her hand. “Let’s make a deal. I play some Animal Crossing with you, and you watch one full sports game with me.”

Chiaki thought about it. “Nothing too violent, and you have to spend at least as many hours on the video game as I spend watching the sports game.”

“Aww, man, that rules out, like, every hockey game in existence!” Junko sighed dramatically. “Okay. Deal.” They shook on it.

“Great!” Chiaki smiled, her mood suddenly lifted. “I never really get to share my passion for games with someone. It’s gonna be so much fun!”

“Yeah.” Junko smiled back at her. “And I mean, even if I hate it, if I’m doing it with you, it’s gonna be fun anyway.”

“You _will_ love it,” Chiaki promised. Then she frowned. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“’Cause you can make literally any situation awesome! I mean, I’ve been having a blast this whole conversation, and I _hate_ talking.”

“Aw, thanks. You’re really nice.”

“Yeah…” For a second Chiaki thought she saw regret in Junko’s eyes. “Trust me. If you knew me, you’d know how totally not true that was.”

“Well, I think I know you kinda well now. And trust me. You’re a good person.”

“Yeah.” Junko looked down. “You’re a good person too.”

_I had a good time hanging out with Junko, even if it did get a little awkward._

_There’s still some time left. What should I do?_

FREE TIME

MONDO

“The fuck you want? Oh, it’s just you. Hey, Chiaki. Sure, I can hang out.”

Mondo paced back and forth across the gym. “Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!” He clenched his fists, breathing deeply.

“Are you okay?” Chiaki asked.

He looked up, startled. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry, guess I shouldn’t be freakin’ out in front of a chick.”

“No, it’s fine. What’s wrong?”

“NOTHING’S FUCKIN’ WRONG!” he yelled. Chiaki took a step back, a worried look on her face. “Ah, damn it. Did it again, didn’t I?”

“Did… what again?” Chiaki asked cautiously.

Mondo somehow managed to sigh aggressively. “Whenever I get super excited or overwhelmed, I end up yellin’. Freaks people the hell out. Makes it impossible for me to get dates. I’m kinda on a 10-game losing streak.” He winced. “Last guy I tried to ask out nearly called the police.”

Chiaki blinked. Wait… “Does that mean…”

Mondo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I like dudes. You don’t gotta make a big deal about it.” He braced himself for some insensitive comment or weird question. Happened every fucking time.

“…you were hitting on me?”

“ _What_?”

“‘Cause you kept talking about dating and stuff,” Chiaki explained. “I couldn’t tell. And I’m flattered, but –”

 _Okay. Not what I was expecting. Maybe this chick’s alright after all. Wait –_ “NO! I WASN’T FUCKING HITTING ON YOU!” He took a deep breath. “Nah, that was just an example. Applies to friendships, too. I can’t tell ya how many times people I wanted to make friends with ran away from me in middle school.” He chuckled. “Then again, when your bro’s a big-time biker gang leader, I guess that’s sorta intimidating too.”

“Oh, sorry for assuming,” Chiaki said. “And don’t worry, I’m not gonna get freaked out. So, what were you so upset about?”

He waved a hand. “It’s a guy thing. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Try me,” Chiaki offered.

“Well…” Mondo looked away. “I just… I wanna get back on my hog, ya know? I miss feelin’ the wind in my hair, the adrenaline rush of knowing you’re goin’ way too fast and then goin’ even faster…”

“Oh, I totally get it!” Chiaki said.

Mondo looked shocked. “Seriously?”

“I mean, not exactly,” she admitted. “But I feel that same way about video games, you know? There’s nothing to play here. I just want to get back behind a controller and play a good FPS for a while.”

“Oh, that means First Person Shooter, right?” Mondo grinned. “Yeah, fake killin’ people is awesome, right?”

“Exactly!” Chiaki said enthusiastically. “A lot of people say they’re bad for kids and teens because they cause violent tendencies, but I think it’s a great way to relieve stress. Gunning down a whole line of enemy soldiers with a machine gun… that’s bliss.”

“Ah, damn it, now I wanna play one of those.” Mondo’s good mood evaporated. “Damn it, there’s nothin’ to _do_ here!”

Chiaki smiled. “Well… that’ll just make it all the better when we get out, right?”

Mondo took a deep breath. “Yeah, totally.”

“And hey, if you wanna come over and play Call of Duty with me sometime, you totally can.”

Mondo blinked. “Wait, seriously?” He laughed, a little incredulously. “Dude, you’re like, the coolest chick ever!” He shot her a set of finger guns. “Let’s talk more later, yeah?”

“Totally.”

_I’m glad I got Mondo to calm down, but it’s getting late. I should head back to my room._

_I can’t believe the day’s gone already. Damn it…! We’re no closer to getting out of here._

_Oh well. I guess… we can always try again tomorrow._

Kamukura Theater

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s our very own Chiaki Nanami, starring in… Sappy Shit that Nobody Gives a Fuck About!” Junko spun around in her chair. “You must be _loving_ this, huh, Izuru?”

To his own surprise, he was. Most human interactions were so painfully predictable and boring. But when it came to Chiaki… it was different. She was different. She had something within her that was just so intriguing, and he couldn’t figure out what it was. Other than hope.

“Ooh, I can see it in your eyes.” Junko leaned in, her face an inch away from Izuru’s. “You’re totally thrilled right now, aren’t’cha? Well, guess what, buddy. It’s not going to last long.” She smiled. “Because the next motive… it’s going to tear _everyone_ apart.”

Ibuki, unsurprisingly, had run out of ammo almost immediately. Fuyuhiko and Peko were doing a better job of conserving their shots, but they were still running low. Nagito, on the other hand, hadn’t fired a single shot since his first. They had told the rest of the group to run, but they’d been stopped by the remaining mechs. They were trapped.

Hiyoko was crying in Mahiru’s arms. She’d been scraped when the robot dove after Fuyuhiko. Mahiru herself was trembling, only managing to keep it together for Hiyoko’s sake. Nekomaru was hammering at the robot’s legs to no avail. They were backed into a corner, and they knew it.

Nagito looked around, taking in the situation. “Oh my,” he said as the robot dive-bombed Peko. “How unlucky.”

“THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT??” Fuyuhiko shouted, blasting it in the chest right as it was about to collide with the swordswoman. “WHY THE FUCK AREN’T YOU SHOOTING?”  
“Oh, well…” Nagito looked down at his gun. “I would, but… with my luck, I’d probably hit one of you instead. I don’t want to risk it.”

“Risk it! Risk it!” Ibuki yelled, firing nonstop at the mech.

“STOP SHOOTING, DUMBASS, YOU’RE OUT OF AMMO!” Fuyuhiko screamed.

“Oh, well, if you insist.” Taking careful aim at the robot’s chest, Nagito fired off a shot.

Unfortunately, that was the exact moment that Nekomaru leapt up to attack that very same spot. The shot hit Nekomaru in the back and knocked him forcefully into the robot. He collided with it, sliding down slowly to the ground. “Nekomaru!” Akane shouted, running up to him. She glared fiercely at Nagito. “What the heck, man?”

Fortunately, the force of Nekomaru’s entire body weight hitting the robot’s weak point managed to dislodge something in its inner mechanisms. The robot staggered, then short-circuited, then fell uselessly to the ground.

Nekomaru sat up blearily. “What…?”

“We did it!” Ibuki cheered.

“More like Peko, Nagito, and me did it while you ran around wasting ammo,” Fuyuhiko muttered.

“We did it!” Ibuki repeated.

A small, red-haired boy stepped out from behind the mech, rubbing his head. A pair of broken headphones dangled around his neck. The robot’s arm had hit him when it collapsed. “Aw, man. Guess I’m lucky this isn’t an official battle, or I’d be toast right now. Somebody tag in?”

“TAKE THE CHILD HOSTAGE!” Ibuki screamed.

“On it!” Nagito said happily. Fuyuhiko tossed him his gun, and before Masaru could do anything, Nagito was beside him holding the gun to his head. The boy dropped the controller that presumably operated the mech with shaking hands.

“Waaaaait, what?” Ibuki was not used to people following up on her suggestions. “You guys, I was like, 90% kidding. This was one of the very frequent occasions where my mouth just says words before my brain can catch up. Let ‘im go.”

“Nagito!” Mahiru admonished. “What’s wrong with you?”

Nagito frowned. “Do you want the full list? Because we really don’t have time for that right now.”

Hiyoko gasped. “Wow, the piece of human trash was actually self-aware for once!”

“WAIT!” the yellow robot shouted. A girl with pink hair tied up in a pair of long pigtails ran out from behind it, dropping her controller and holding up her hands. “Don’t shoot!”

“Huh. Whaddaya know,” Fuyuhiko said, mildly impressed. “That actually worked.”

The girl curtseyed. “Kotoko Utsugi, Fighter of the Warriors of Hope, here to formally say – WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING, SERVANT?? LET GO OF MASARU RIGHT THIS INSTANT!” The other two mechs entered fighting stances.

“I would be more than happy to!” Nagito exclaimed. “If you would all just put down your controllers, that is. If not, I’m afraid I would have to –”

“Nagito!” Mahiru warned, giving him a deadly look. He shook his head at her. She huffed but backed down. “Fine. Just this once, I’ll trust you.”  
“That won’t be necessary.”

Out of the cloud of dust surrounding the fallen mech, a girl in a wheelchair with green hair and oddly blank, empty eyes rolled forward. “Monaca!” Nagito said. “Great to see you!”

She smiled. “It’s wonderful to see you too, Servant! But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to let Masaru go.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Nagito said sympathetically. “Seeing as none of us really want to die here.”

“I will not take any of your sass, mister!” Kotoko snapped, but Monaca held up a hand and she stepped back, bowing her head.

“In that case…” She smiled, a beautiful sight, but an oddly twisted one. They all knew what it was. It was a smile filled with despair. “Jataro? Nagisa?” Her smile widened. “Kill them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you subjected your eyeballs to the utterly pointless beginning notes, thank you for your unnecessary sacrifice, it is much appreciated. As always, let me know if there's anything I can improve, feel free to fight me about my Good Omens opinions (which is a fight you will lose because this is the one case where my opinions are the correct opinions, but feel free to try anyway), and have a good rest of your day.  
> Also Mondo is an adorable disaster bisexual pass it on


	16. Chapter Two Part Four: Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, it's mostly just FTEs and Kamukura Theater. Plot? Don't know her.

_Ding dong, bing bong._

“Shaddup…” Chiaki mumbled, forcing herself out of bed. It was getting easier to get up at this ungodly hour, but not by much. She stumbled into the dining hall, where instead of Taka’s enthusiastic shout, she was greeted with a muted ‘good morning’. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Taka straightened up. “It’s nothing! Just… is everyone here? This feels a little… small.”

“Well, yeah,” Junko said. “Nobody’s seen Celeste since she left the breakfast meeting yesterday. Byakuya’s clearly not coming, and, well…” She didn’t need to finish. _Toko and Hina are dead._

“Should we check on Celeste?” Chihiro asked. “I – I know she helped Hina cover up her murder, but… I still don’t want her do die.”

“Absolutely not,” Kyoko said quickly. “If she’s dead, she brought it upon herself.”

“Woah,” Hiro said, sounding impressed. “You’re being even more ruthless than normal.”

“Yeah…” Makoto said. “Are you okay? I know you and Celeste were getting closer, but –”

“I can assure you that’s not it. I’m simply making a logical decision. Her death would lower the risk of all of ours exponentially.” She glared a hole in the opposite wall. “She’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah…” Sayaka said. “But… isn’t that all the more reason to check up on her and Byakuya? I mean, if they’re doing anything they shouldn’t be doing, maybe we can stop them, or at least catch them in the act.”

“An excellent idea!” Taka shouted before Kyoko could say anything.

“Yeah,” Mondo agreed. “We gotta tie ‘em up.”

Taka’s eyes widened. “Hey now, isn’t that going a little too far?”

“We’re in a damn killing game, ya idiot!” Mondo snarled. “We went way past ‘going too far’ the second one of us decided to kill! It’s a necessary precaution, ya know?”

“You’re the idiot, idiot! We need not stoop to the level of killers to prevent death!”

“Who are you callin’ stupid, huh??”

Chihiro looked at the ground, tears in her eyes. “Hey,” Makoto said, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like to see you guys fight,” she said, wiping her eyes. “It’s… it’s scary. Because the last time emotions were running this high…”

“Aw, c’mon now,” Mondo said uncomfortably. “No need to cry. Nothin’ like that’s gonna happen again. We’ll make sure of it, okay? That’s my promise as a man!”

Chihiro smiled. “R-really? Thank you, Mondo!”

“Ah, well, it’s nothin’,” Mondo said, blushing a little.

Junko giggled. “What’re you lookin’ at??” he snapped.

“You’re kinda cute, you know, when you’re not being a total psycho,” she said.

“Correct!” Taka agreed. “Almost like an overly aggressive Pomeranian!”

“What?” Mondo asked, his anger outweighed by his confusion.

“What?” Taka said, avoiding eye contact even more aggressively than usual.

“Are you makin’ fun of me?” Mondo snarled. He was about to go on, but looking at Chihiro, who was starting to cry again, he stopped and shook his head. “Aw, hell. We’ll settle this later.”

The meeting adjourned, everyone feeling even more uneasy than when it had begun.

_That whole thing with Taka and Mondo is a little concerning… and we still haven’t figured out what to do about the two who didn’t show up to breakfast._

_Well, we can figure that out later. In the meantime… what should I do today?_

FREE TIME

MAKOTO

“Hey there, Chiaki. Sure, I can hang out.”

“Chiaki, I got an idea for how you could get your memories back!”

Chiaki brightened. “Really?”

“Okay, so,” Makoto said excitedly. “It seems like you start to remember things whenever I say certain phrases. So… how about we try that? I’ll say those phrases, and you tell me if you get anything!”

Chiaki thought about it, then shrugged. “Yeah, I guess we could try that.”

“Awesome! So…” Makoto slumped down, faking depression. “I’m just so ordinary. I’m the most normal guy in the whole world. I’m nothing special, really. I don’t belong here like you guys.”

Chiaki giggled. “Hey!” Makoto said, his face turning red. “I’m trying to help you, you know.”

She shook her head. “Yeah, I know. It just feels way too forced. I don’t think this is working.”

“Okay, well… do you remember any faces or anything? Maybe I could try to draw somebody.”

 _I… I remember a smile…_ But that wouldn’t help in this situation, and besides, it sounded pretty lame. “No, not really. Just that he looked kind of like you.”

“Who did?” Makoto asked, leaning closer. “Maybe you really are remembering something!”

She shook her head. “That’s just it. I remember this one boy… I think I had a crush on him, or we were really close friends, or something. But I can’t remember his name, or what he looks like.”

“Like Cinderella,” Makoto said, so seriously that Chiaki had to laugh. “Okay, yeah. Now I do kinda hear how stupid I sound.”

“It’s fine,” Chiaki said. “And… I’m sorry this didn’t really work.”

“Hey.” He put a hand on her arm. “I just wanna help, all right? It’s totally fine if you don’t remember right away. The important thing is I’m here for you.”

 _Huh…?_ All at once, her head started to hurt again. “That… that sounds like him…”

“Really?” Makoto asked. “Okay, I’ll keep going then! Uh… I’m here for you no matter what. You’re really important to me. You’re a great friend –”

_Hajime!_

The thought was gone as soon as it arrived. “I… I remembered his name for a second.”

“That’s great! What was it?”

“I…” Chiaki slammed her fist onto the table in front of her, making Makoto jump. “Damn it! I don’t _remember_!”

“Oh.” Makoto looked disappointed. “Should I keep trying?”

“No… you’ve already helped enough. But thank you.”

He nodded. “Okay. See you later?”

“Yeah.”

“And Chiaki?” he said, just as they stood up to leave.

“What is it?”

He blushed. “Well… everything I said, about how you’re a great friend and stuff… I meant it. I’m here for you, you got that?”

“Yeah.” Chiaki smiled at him. “I know.”

She walked back to her room, trying to ignore the way her head was splitting in two.

_There’s still time left, and I don’t feel like just sitting around here. Maybe I should explore the school some more._

FREE TIME

HIFUMI

“Oh, Chiaki? Hmm… I suppose I could spare some of my precious time.”

Hifumi was glaring at Chiaki.

Chiaki blinked. “Sorry… did I say something weird?”

“Just go away!” he shouted.

“What?”

“Leave me alone, you idiot! You piece of crap!”

Chiaki’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why would you say that?”

Hifumi slumped down. “Gah! It’s just not working! But I know girls like you! You only talk to me out of pity! You see the fat otaku loser and think ‘oh, that poor guy, I just feel so bad for him that I have to pretend to be his friend’!” He smiled. “There’s nothing in my life that brings me joy more than making girls like you cry.”

“That’s… kind of horrible…”

“No, what’s horrible is you people always pitying me and trying to make me feel better about myself! Well, guess what, b-word? It’s not gonna work!” He shook his head. “If only my level were a little higher, I could blast you to bits!”

Chiaki tilted her head. “It’s not your level that’s the problem, it’s your spells. You’ve spent all your skill points on too many low-level spells that don’t take much MP to cast but also don’t take much HP from your opponents. Your level and gear are excellent, and your base stats are decent, but your attacks are pitifully underleveled.”

Hifumi reared back. “Woah! You’re… you’re the first person who hasn’t made fun of me for talking like that!” He glowered. “Whatever! I’m gonna get tons more skill points and level up my attack game like crazy! You won’t know what hit you!”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Chiaki said sincerely. “I’ll make sure to level up accordingly.”

“You’d better,” Hifumi snorted. “Your base stats are so poorly distributed it makes me want to weep! Your gear is mediocre and your attacks are lackluster. Your level is actually pretty good, but you’ve invested all your skill points into support and healing spells, completely neglecting your attack and defense power!” He puffed out his chest. “In a real fight, you’d never stand a chance against The Alpha and the Omega!”

“Oh yeah? Well, prepare to fight The Angel of Death, ‘cause she’s gonna kick your butt!”

“Incredible…” Hifumi whispered. “Are you truly a version of me from another dimension? Would fighting you create a rift in space and time?”

“That’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Chiaki said solemnly, “because I won’t let this challenge to my honor stand unopposed!”

“Yeah!” Hifumi couldn’t hold back a smile. “I’ll see you on the battlefield, Miss Nanami!”

“Same to you, Mister Yamada!”

_I didn’t expect talking to Hifumi to be that fun. We really do speak the same language… but it’s getting kinda late. I should go back to my room._

_Damn it… the day is over, and we’re still no closer to getting out of here!_

_Whatever. We’ve… still got tomorrow. Right?_

Kamukura Theater

Junko was pacing.

“Hrrgh… hrrgh…” she muttered. “Can’t wait, can’t wait, CAN’T WAIT!” She threw one of her Monokuma hair ties at a monitor, where it bounced off harmlessly.

“So don’t,” Izuru said. “There’s nothing stopping you from releasing the motive right now.”

“No…” she mumbled. “Gotta wait. They’ve gotta build up their bonds s’more before I can send it all tumbling down into despair.” She brightened up. “And hey… the longer I wait, the better that despair will be!” She grinned. “Chiaki won’t know what hit her! But that’s all from me, folks! Go to commercial!”

Izuru stared at her. “You do realize we’re not the ones being broadcast, right? And even if we were, it’s the literal end of the world. No one’s cutting away.”

She collapsed into her chair. “I know… just trying to add some life to this room. It’s like a wedding in here! Everything is so boring and pointless!”

For once, Izuru agreed with her.

“Jataro? Nagisa? Kill them.”

Mahiru shielded Hiyoko with her body. Gundham assumed a fighting stance. Nekomaru roared and beat his chest. Nagito just stood there, laughing. They were all waiting for the end.

But the mechs didn’t move.

“Monaca…” Nagisa said uneasily. “I… I don’t think we should. They’re demons. They’re gonna kill Masaru.”

“Yeah,” Jataro said, “and we can’t let them do that! We’d lose our leader!”

Masaru himself was trembling. “Monaca… please. They’re gonna kill me.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “As Hero and leader of the Warriors of Hope, I order you to stand down!”

“That’s a real bummer!” Monaca said cheerfully. “Oh, well, I guess I can give them one last chance. Demons, surrender Masaru, or we will be forced to attack!”

“But you’re going to attack us anyway once you have him back,” Byakuya observed.

“Of course not,” Nagisa said at the same time as Jataro said, “Absolutely!” The humanoid mech seemed to shoot the blue one a look.

“There, see?” Byakuya said. “We have absolutely no reason to surrender Masaru.”

Kotoko was beginning to cry. “Please, Monaca! Don’t do it! He’ll die!”

“H-hey, didn’t you hear me?” Masaru said as Nagito pressed the gun into his skull. “This is a direct order from your leader – tell them to put down their controllers!”

Monaca sighed. “Fine. Jataro, Nagisa, you can come out now.”

A boy with a mask covering his entire head stepped out from behind the blue robot, a boy with blue hair and a determined gaze stepped out from behind the other. The pilot of the blue one, Jataro, slipped halfway there and fell to the ground. “Ow…”

Mahiru patted a no longer crying Hiyoko on the head and rushed over to his side. “Are you okay? That was a pretty big fall.”

Jataro scooted away from her, his eyes wide. “G-get away from me, demon!”

“Ugh.” Mahiru rolled her eyes. “Boys. Look, I don’t have cooties or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Nagito tossed the gun back to Fuyuhiko, much to Masaru’s relief, and put a hand on Mahiru’s shoulder. “Remember? Abused children?” he said quietly.

“Oh –” Mahiru’s face flushed. “I’m so sorry. If you want me to keep my distance that’s fine, but is there anything I can get you? We have bandages in the building, and I’m sure Ibuki would let you have one of her juice boxes.”

“NEVER!” Ibuki roared, then laughed. “Juuuust kidding! Yeah, knock yourself out.”

“Drop the act, demons!” Kotoko said, pointing a finger at Mahiru. “We know you just want to hurt us even more!”

Monaca glared at them. “Monaca! Needs! You! To! Back! Off!” She hammered her fists on the arms of her wheelchair.

“Okay…” Mahiru backed up, looking worried.

“You guys,” Nagito said, “I know I’m just a lowly servant, but Mahiru means you no harm. She’s one of the kindest, most gentle – oh shit.” He put a hand over his mouth. “I am so sorry.” Mahiru didn’t realize what was wrong until she looked at Kotoko. Her eyes had gone wide, and she’d dropped to her knees.

“No…” she whispered. “Not… gentle… please… no…”

Monaca rolled over to her and punched her. “There, there. Monaca is here for you.” She gave Mahiru a judgmental look. “Gentle is a bad, bad word for Kotoko.”

“Thank you… Monaca…” Kotoko whimpered.

“Okay, what the fuck is happening?” Kazuichi asked.

“Oh my…” Sonia said. “Kotoko, is everything okay?”

“Shut up, demon!” Kotoko shouted, springing back to her feet. “It’s your fault! It’s your fault I’m like this! You did this to me!”

Mahiru stepped forward, but Monaca wheeled in front of Kotoko. “Stupid demon,” she chided. “Turning poor little Kotoko into this…”

“Hoo boy,” Kazuichi said. “There’s a lot to unpack here.”

“Wait!” Masaru shouted. “I’m not in trouble anymore, so… let’s get back to the robots!” He ran back to where he’d dropped his controller, but Fuyuhiko grabbed him by the collar.

“Watch it, you little shit!”

“Huh?” Masaru turned to look at him. “Oh, okay! You’re a kid too, right?”

Fuyuhiko snarled. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

The rest of them tried to get their controllers back from the former Despairs, who had confiscated them, but all the teens had to do was hold them over their heads. The kids jumped up and down uselessly, trying to grab them. “Ugh!” Masaru yelled, craning his neck. “Why are demons so tall??”

“It’s so they can beat up kids,” Jataro said wisely.

“Oh well,” Monaca said brightly. “We can just send our Monokumas after them again.” She clapped her hands, and the Monokuma army started slowly waddling forward again.

In a split second, Mahiru seemed to make a decision. Grabbing Nagisa’s arm, she dragged him into the building. “You guys, grab a kid and come on!”

Once everyone was inside, Nekomaru stacked furniture over the doors and windows. As much as the Monokumas hammered at them, they couldn’t get through.

“Okay,” Nagito said. “It’s only a matter of time before Junko sends Bomb and Ball Monokumas after us, so we’ve got to get out of here quickly.”

“Wait,” Nagisa said, confused. “Are you… taking us with you?”

“Just what is going on?” Byakuya demanded. “I don’t remember being consulted on this decision.”

“Sidebar?” Mahiru suggested, pulling Byakuya aside. “They’re _abused children_ ,” she whispered. “Even if they’re on Junko’s side, they don’t know what they’re doing. They’ve been manipulated, just like we were. We have to help them.”

Byakuya sighed. “This seems like a fully unnecessary liability, but very well.”

“Really?” Mahiru asked, surprised.

“Of course. I’m not that heartless.”

“Okay then!” Mahiru turned back to the children, smiling. “Yep! You guys are coming with us!”

Kotoko backed up. “Are… are you gonna hurt us?”

“Not at all!” Nagito said. “Trust me. These guys are all right. They’re just trying to help you.”

“You probably shouldn’t be trusting us,” Monaca said solemnly. “We’re on strict orders from Big Sis Junko to kill you.”

The entire group seemed to exchange a look at once. “Well… it just so happens that we’re with Junko!” Nagito said. “Remember, that’s the whole reason I was in Towa City! These guys are all following Junko’s plans to spread hope to the world! Junko is just a little confused. She saw us all together so she thought we were planning to overthrow her, but really we’re making a plan to help her! And getting you guys to a safe location is a crucial part of that plan.”

“Yeah!” Ibuki chimed in. “We’re, like, super into hope.”

Monaca hesitated. Her brilliant mind whirled with thoughts and ideas. They were lying about being on Big Sis Junko’s side… but they weren’t lying on being on the side of hope, the side she had to pretend to be on for the sake of her group, and she could tell they genuinely wanted to help. Junko had told her to kill them, and Junko was never wrong… but she knew the servant had been on Junko’s side, at least at first. For the first time, she considered that Junko might have made a mistake.

“Okay,” she said finally. “We’ll come with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aughh... I'm really conflicted.  
> I am on the verge of making Hifumi an absolutely horrible person. (I don't know what it is about that guy, but somehow in all my fics he ends up being a homophobic jackass. He is the somewhat less terrible Minoru Mineta of Danganronpa.) But writing his FTE, I realized his character is actually slightly more interesting than that, and I don't know if I want to ruin him. Then again - not to spoil anything, but his being a homophobic jackass makes some of somebody else's actions slightly more understandable. So I'm not sure if I should just go with what I have or rework that scene altogether. I'm kind of leaning toward ruining him, but if enough people comment that they don't want me to I'll probably end up changing it, so if you have any strong opinions on this be sure to let me know.  
> FTEs are full for now, sorry, but you can still comment for future chapters, and I might include it in the event that your pick doesn't die beforehand.  
> Also - I know nobody really gives a shit, but thank you so much for all the support and positive feedback this is getting. Your comments mean a lot, even the ones that are just pointing out plot holes. As always, don't be afraid to make suggestions or tell me if someone's out of character or something doesn't make sense.  
> Sorry if the Kamukura Theaters are getting a bit long; I have a pretty big story in mind for Class 77 and I'm trying to pace it out so it links up with the climax of the main story, which is extremely hard because I'm basically making it up as I go. In other words, I'm just now realizing that I really should've plotted this out but by now I'm a good 55k words in and it is far too late to turn back, so. *Monokuma voice* Thanks for bearing with me!


	17. Chapter Two: Daily Life Part Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE HAVE HIT 69 COMMENTS, I REPEAT, WE HAVE HIT 69 COMMENTS  
> Sorry for no update yesterday; the combination of a completely random meltdown in the middle of a Driver's Ed class and the fact that I am very rapidly losing confidence in the quality of this thing kind of prevented me from getting a chapter out. I might end up taking longer to get chapters out after this just so I have some more time to tweak the story, but I'm not giving up on it, don't worry.

As Chiaki walked out of her room the next morning, she bumped into Makoto, who was running towards the dining hall at top speed. “Hey! What’s the rush?”

“Gotta make sure Mondo and Taka didn’t kill each other,” he said, and took off without providing context. Chiaki shrugged and followed him.

Walking into the dining hall, she was greeted by –

“Bahahaha! What are you talkin’ about, bro?”

“Kahahaha! What are YOU talkin’ about, bro!?”

Makoto had slowed to a stop and was staring at Mondo and Taka in abject confusion. “Okay, what’s going on?” Chiaki whispered to him. “I’m weirdly scared.”

“Last night, they had this endurance contest in the sauna,” Makoto replied. “They made me be their witness, but I left when nighttime started. I was worried they’d died there.”

“This feels kinda gross,” Junko said.

“Feels gross? Hell no. Feels GREAT, more like!” Mondo said.

“Yeah, forget her, bro! Girls just don’t get our manly bond!” Taka said. They laughed.

As they went on, Makoto noticed Chiaki staring at them. “Hey… what’s wrong?”

“This is the most wholesome friendship I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” she said simply. “They’ve taken the rivals-to-friends trope to a whole nother level. And I’m really glad Taka has another friend now.”

“Uh… okay.” Makoto turned back to the two boys. “So, uh, who won the endurance contest?”

“WHO GIVES A SHIT?” Mondo yelled.

“Exactly!” Taka agreed. “The important thing is that we got through it, together!”

“Yeah!” They fist bumped.

This continued all throughout breakfast. _Okay, this started out fine, but it’s starting to get a little worrying…_

After a while of… that… Chiaki returned to her room. _So, what should I do today?_

Someone rang her doorbell.

She opened the door. “Oh, hey Celeste.”

“Chiaki.” For once, she actually looked uncomfortable. “Normally I would use a man for this, but it appears there is not a single male in this entire school that trusts me, and you appear to be our most trusting classmate. I require a mediator.”

Chiaki tilted her head to the side. “Huh? Mediator?”

“Come with me.” She walked out of the room without waiting for Chiaki to respond.

On one hand, Celeste clearly couldn’t be trusted. But on the other, nobody had seen her for days. Chiaki couldn’t help feeling concerned. So, shrugging, she followed Celeste out of her room.

To her surprise, they stopped right outside of Kyoko’s room. “Right,” Celeste said, taking a breath. “Now then. Chiaki?”

“Huh? Me?”

Celeste gestured impatiently. “Go on. Ring the doorbell.”

“Um… okay?” Chiaki walked up to the door, making sure to look behind her to ensure that Celeste wasn’t about to attack her (she hated herself for doubting her, but she couldn’t be too careful.) Kyoko answered the door, looking confused and suspicious. “Chiaki? What’s wrong?”

Chiaki looked over at Celeste helplessly. _Ask her to let you in_ , she mouthed. “Is it okay if I come in?” Chiaki asked uneasily.

“You sound like somebody’s holding a gun to your head,” Kyoko commented wryly. “But I suppose that’s okay. Come in.”

As Kyoko was about to close the door behind them, Celeste slipped in silently. “Hello, Kyoko.”

Kyoko looked up, startled, and glared. “Out. Now.”

“I simply wanted… to apologize,” Celeste said. “For betraying your trust. It was not my intention to harm anyone in deceiving you all; far from it. I wished to assist someone who was in dire need of help.”

“No, you _wished_ to assess our abilities and ensure that we would not be a threat in the future,” Kyoko said. “Now leave.”

Celeste looked down. “Please. My only desire is to make amends. I do not wish to throw away our friendship over this.”

“Friendship?” Kyoko said coldly. “We’ve known each other for about a week, and during that time you have proven yourself to be an untrustworthy, manipulative deceiver. We are not friends, and we never were.”

“I see.” Celeste nodded. “Very well. Just know that I hold your intellect in high regard and regret hurting you so.”

“Do I look like I’m hurting?” Kyoko opened the door, and Celeste, her head held high, walked through it.

Kyoko sat down heavily on her bed. “Was there anything you wanted to ask me, Chiaki?”

“No… I think she just wanted me here in case things got too heated.”

“Mhm.” She looked away, then laughed, a little bitterly. “Out of everyone here, you seem to have the most dedication to your friends. So, can you keep a secret?”

“Absolutely.” It was true. She still hadn’t told anyone about the cheat code the developer of one of her favorite games had given her in confidence years ago.

Kyoko sighed. “I truly had begun to strike up a sort of friendship with Celeste. She was intriguing, and I genuinely wanted to get closer to her. Even now, I wish we could remain friends, if only because of how fascinating I find her. But that seems impossible now.” She said it in a rush, like she was afraid she would change her mind before she could get the words out.

“Huh.” Chiaki nodded. “Why would you want to keep that a secret?”

“Well… because…” She fiddled with one of the buttons on her jacket. “I’m confiding in you during a rare moment of weakness. This killing game… it’s a bit much to take, especially alone. This was weighing on me. Thank you for hearing me out. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”

Chiaki nodded and left the room to encounter Celeste, looking as poised as ever. “What did she say to you?” the gambler asked.

Her expression was calm, but her tone was so eager that Chiaki almost wanted to tell her. But she knew she couldn’t without betraying Kyoko’s trust, so she just shook her head. “Nothing much. Basically just the same stuff she said to you.”

“Hmm.” Celeste must have been able to tell Chiaki was lying, but she didn’t comment on it. “Well then.” She briskly strode back to her room.

“Hey, wait a minute.” Celeste turned around and sighed, like she had much better things to do than hang around and talk with Chiaki. “You seem… I dunno. Invested? It doesn’t really seem like you. Why do you care so much what Kyoko thinks of you?”

For a moment Chiaki could swear she saw a glitter of sorrow pass over Celeste’s face. Then her perfectly composed smile was back. “Why, I wished to manipulate her, of course. During the trial I managed to assess that she is by far the most clever out of all of us – next to me, of course. She would be an extremely powerful ally.”

“Wow.” That was a lot for Chiaki to take in. “You do realize I could just tell her about what you’re saying, right?”

“And yet you won’t,” she said. “Because you are such a good friend, are you not?” Patting Chiaki on the head, she walked back to her room and closed the door carefully behind her.

_I… I can’t even be mad. That was a genuinely impressive display of not giving a crap._

Returning to her room, Chiaki looked around restlessly. _That ate up a surprising amount of the day, but I’ve still got time left. What should I do?_

FREE TIME

TAKA

“Greetings, Chiaki! I would be honored to spend time with you!”

“…”

“…”

_We’ve just been standing here for a while… this is starting to get awkward…_

“So,” Chiaki said finally. “What do you want to talk about?”

Taka seemed startled. “Ah, yes! What would you like to discuss? Politics? Economics? International affairs?”

“Huh?”

“Well, as long as we’re talking, we should find out where we stand on all the big issues, shouldn’t we??”

Chiaki shook her head. “That’s not really what a conversation is, Taka. At least not between friends.”

“Really?” Taka looked shocked. “We’re… friends?”

“Yeah,” Chiaki said. “Of course we are. At least I hope so.”

“Really?” he repeated, suspiciously. “This… isn’t a trick?”

“No, of course not! Why would I trick you?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know why anyone does! I just know they keep doing it. I’ve learned to be wary. When I was in second grade, a boy pretended to be my friend because he thought I’d help him cheat on an upcoming test. Of course I didn’t, but after that nobody in the whole school wanted to talk to me! In sixth grade, when I thought I could finally start over, someone else pretended to be my friend so they could laugh at me behind my back with their _real_ friends! I only found out because a kind girl took pity on me and told me. And just last year, after six months of supposed ‘friendship’, yet another person finally told me that the only reason they spent time with me in the first place was because they felt bad for me and were choosing to stop because they had finally become fed up with me!” Taka was starting to cry. “And the worst part is, I never see it coming!”

 _That’s horrible!_ “Well, you can trust me,” Chiaki said firmly. “I would never do something like that. So… what do you want to talk about?”

“Hmm… well, what do friends talk about?”

Chiaki shrugged. “I dunno. I’m kind of new to this too. People didn’t really talk to me in middle school. Um… what do you do for fun?”

“Study!” Taka said. “There are many extremely interesting subjects I devote myself to.”

“Is that all? You don’t play games or watch TV or anything?”

“Why would I?” he asked. “If I want to achieve maximum success, I can’t relax even for one minute! I must spend all my time studying and learning as much as I can! It just so happens to be something I enjoy as well.”

“Well… is there anything else?”

Taka thought for a moment. “Oh! Sometimes I practice making speeches in the mirror. It’s quite exhilarating, imagining myself reaching out to the whole world, speaking to millions of people at once and having them actually listen to me!”

 _Kind of adorable, but not what I was looking for._ “Anything non-practical, I mean. Like, _just_ for fun.”

He shook his head. “I can’t think of a single thing!”

A horrible thought struck Chiaki. “Taka,” she said. “Have you ever played a video game?”

“I can’t say that I have, no.”

“Hey.” She grabbed him by the shoulders, and he winced away from the contact. “Oh, sorry. But anyway. When we get out of here, I _am_ showing you how to play Pokémon. I promise you’ll love it. There are tons of strats to memorize for speedruns and stuff, and type advantages and disadvantages, and ways to build your optimal team, and so many different species to learn about, and a whole system to breed the best possible Pokémon, – and –” She gasped for breath. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be trying to push gaming on you. Just because it’s one of my special interests doesn’t mean you’re gonna like it.”

Taka considered it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about with ‘strats’ and ‘speedruns’ and the like, but it sounds very complicated. Very well, I’m interested!”

“Well, it’s kind of a game for children,” Chiaki admitted. “But there’s so much more to it than that! It’s one of those easy to play, hard to master games... I think. The newest installments have been kind of weak, especially story-wise, but they’re still fun.”

“I must say, doing something other than studying for fun seems like a bit of a waste of time,” Taka admitted. “But if this is what friends do, I’m more than willing to try!”

“Heck yeah.”

_I think that’s enough infodumping about Pokémon for one day. I should probably head back to my room._

Chiaki closed her eyes, settled into bed, and then –

_Ding dong, bing bong._

She braced herself for the ever-obnoxious nighttime announcement. It didn’t come. Instead – “Emergency, emergency!” Monokuma shouted. “Nighttime is quickly approaching, but before it leaves… all students, please gather in the gym immediately!”

_That can’t be good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know I made Taka's FTE about twice as long as everyone else's. There's a perfectly reasonable explanation, that explanation being: shut up I love him. So why did I spend a solid paragraph projecting my complete and total inability to tell when people are manipulating me and my utter inability to make friends onto him if I love him so much, you ask? Because I relate to this boy on so many levels and really wish people didn't brush him off as loud and annoying. Also because, once again, shut up.  
> Side note: would anyone be down to see me write a Bandaid talent swap AU where Ibuki is the Ultimate Programmer and Mikan is the Ultimate Gamer? I have this very vivid image of Ibuki absolutely jamming the fuck out whilst hacking into the Pentagon. Or a fantasy AU where Ibuki takes the role of the stereotypical YA protagonist and is dropped into an insane world she knows nothing about except she's just doing her own thing and doesn't give a fuck, and Hajime is the childhood friend who got hot and Gundham is the mysterious yet intriguing loner, and she's supposed to end up in a love triangle with them but she ends up falling for side character Mikan instead. (Maybe it's just me but I think Ibuki would make a hilarious YA protagonist because all these other protags are out there like 'oh I'm so not like other girls because I have an average body type and brown hair' meanwhile Ibuki has her hair done up in literal horns and once headbanged until she lost consciousness.)  
> Yeah, in case it's not obvious I really fucking love Ibuki.


	18. Chapter Two: Daily Life Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Junko drops the f-slur because she fucking sucks, and Mondo is unbearably soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to me screaming! *deep breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

“Hey,” Hiro said once they arrived, “this whole thing reminds me of something. Last night… I coulda swore I heard the sound of construction.”

“How exactly did this remind you of that?” Byakuya asked.

Hiro shrugged. “I dunno. Just where my mind went.”

“Upupupupupu…”

Everyone tensed up as Monokuma popped up behind the podium. “What Hiro heard could’ve been construction… or it could’ve been an explosion! Or maybe a machine gun!”

“Get to the point,” Kyoko said. Chiaki noted that she had chosen to stand as far away from Celeste as possible.

“Fine! I can’t tell you any more about that… but I _can_ tell you this! I’ve been so bored lately! No fun, no stimulation of any kind anywhere! Not one single blackened! So… I’ve decided to prepare another motive!”

“Try all you want!” Taka shouted. “No matter what, you will not divide us again! I can assure you of that!”

“Yeah!” Makoto yelled. “We’re gonna work together and get out of here no matter what!”

“My my, so gung-ho today! Well, enough beating around the bush. The motive this time is… wait for it… embarrassing memories and secrets!” He tossed fourteen enveloped at their feet.

Chiaki snatched hers. When she saw what was written on it, her body went cold.

_Chiaki cheated in the worldwide Tetris competition that secured her the title of Ultimate Gamer._

“What…?” Chiaki said to no one in particular, shocked and horrified. “But…” She remembered that happening. She hadn’t meant to cheat. A technician at that event was one of her fans and had rigged her system to automatically select the best possible position for each block. Nobody had realized it until he told her after the game, but just as she was about to confess to the world and cede her victory to the second place winner, she’d been accepted into Hope’s Peak, and her family was so proud of her that she couldn’t reveal what had actually happened. Given her previous record, she likely would’ve won anyway, but that event had been weighing on her.

“You’ve got twenty-four hours!” Monokuma said cheerfully. “After that, your deepest, darkest secrets will be broadcast to the entire world! Well, deal with that as you will!” He disappeared, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

Looking around, everyone had the same shocked look on their faces. Then Makoto glared. “This is crazy! I mean, of course I’d rather people didn’t know about my secret, but nobody’s gonna murder over something like this!”

“Yeah!” Taka agreed. “This is stupid! I would never kill someone because of this!”

Chiaki looked down. To her surprise, she was beginning to cry. _If anyone found out about this, I could lose my place at Hope’s Peak. But… Hope’s Peak has really been taken over by the mastermind, maybe it doesn’t matter anymore._ “Okay,” she said with a heavy heart. “Why don’t we all share out our secrets?”

“Of course!” Taka said. “I will go first. My secret is…” He took a deep breath. “I, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, am a homosexual!”

Five full seconds passed.

“Wait… I am confused,” Celeste said. “That was supposed to be a secret?”

“Celeste!” Kyoko said sharply. “Taka just came out to all of us with no idea if we’d judge him. Don’t undercut his moment.”

“All right, all right,” Celeste said. “I am just saying, it was fairly obvious.”

Mondo stared at him. “Wait – so –”

“Yes?” Taka seemed totally oblivious to the awkward situation he was in.

For one horrible second, Chiaki thought Mondo might hit him, or at least crush his self-esteem beyond belief. Then he grinned. “Cool.” He gave Taka a friendly punch to the arm. “This ain’t gonna change anything between us, alright?”

“Why would it?” Taka asked, puzzled. “Sure, I was worried that everyone would look at me differently – and, of course, if this ever went public, my chances at a political career would be ruined – but we’ve got a manly bond between us that no secret, no matter how embarrassing, could break!”

“Hell yeah!” They high-fived. “Ay,” Mondo said, turning to the rest of the group, his tone suddenly deadly serious. “If a single one of you says any homophobic bullshit – lookin’ at you, fatass – I swear to God I will tear your arms off and use ‘em as motorcycle handles.”

“O-oh, we weren’t planning to!” Makoto said hurriedly. “That’s good for you, Taka, and I’m really glad you felt comfortable telling us.” He laughed awkwardly. “Ah, this is kind of lame compared to your secret, but… I wet the bed until fifth grade.”

Junko snorted. “What?” Makoto said defensively.

“Lame is an understatement,” she said. “Especially compared to mine.”

“Okay, so… what’s yours?” Makoto asked.

Junko looked down, her confidence suddenly gone. “I… I don’t think I can tell you that.”

“Aw, c’mon, you can tell us!” Hifumi encouraged.

“No,” she said quietly. “I mean, like, legally, I’m not sure I can tell you.”

Another five seconds of silence. “Okay,” Makoto said. “That officially beats mine.”

“I-I don’t want to tell mine either,” Chihiro said, “at least not just now. But… once I get a little bit stronger…” She smiled. “I think I’ll be ready then.”

“And I cannot tell mine,” Celeste said. “It is impossible.”

Kyoko marched over to her and ripped the envelope from her hand before she could react. When she saw what was written there, a faint smile played on her lips. “Hm.”

“What did it say?” Leon asked.

Kyoko looked at Celeste, who was looking down in shame. She opened her mouth, then closed it. “That’s for Celeste to tell, and she clearly isn’t ready to do that,” she said finally.

Celeste gave her a grateful smile. Kyoko looked down, hiding one of her own.

“Okay, so… are we still going?” Sayaka said. “Um… mine is… I performed an occult ritual on my best friend when I was in sixth grade that almost killed her.”

Makoto’s eyes widened. “Holy crap.”

“I didn’t know what I was doing!” she said. “And my friend was totally okay with it. She actually went on to join my pop group. The ritual was to draw a pentagram around a tub and then submerge someone in it until a spirit appeared.”

“Lemme guess, she almost drowned?” Mondo said. He chuckled. “Damn, maybe mine isn’t as bad as I thought.” He winced, like he’d just realized he’d said something really terrible, but Chiaki brushed it off.

“Oh God…” Sayaka stared at the ground. “You all think less of me now, don’t you?”

“Not at all!” Makoto said. “I promise, there’s not a single secret in this entire room that could make me think less of someone.”

“Oh, me next!” Leon said, actually sounding eager. “Mine knocks Makoto’s out of the park.”

“Hey, why me??”

Mondo stared down at the piece of paper in his hand. _Mondo killed his own brother._

As Leon started telling them all about how he’d almost died deepthroating a baseball bat, Mondo was lost in his own head. He knew how crazy it sounded, but… he was actually considering telling them.

Killing Daiya had been weighing on him for ages. And sharing their secrets seemed to be doing everyone else good. Besides, if Sayaka was an almost-murderer and Mondo was an accidental one, maybe they would forgive him like they had her.

_No. I can’t. This ain’t just about me, this is about the gang. If this gets out they’ll never look at me the same way again. I won’t be able to lead the Crazy Diamonds anymore. I won’t be able to keep the promise I made to Daiya. I’ll lose my spot at Hope’s Peak. I’ll… I’ll have nothing._

Mondo glanced over at his bro, who was currently reprimanding Leon for performing such a disgusting act for something as simple as a dare. _Well… almost nothing._

He couldn’t remember ever having a friend like Taka. Sure, there were his buddies in the gang, but he always had to act tough around them, pretend that nothing bothered him. But with Taka, it was different. With Taka, he could act like the person he really was instead of the person he had been trying to convince himself for so long that he wanted to be. He hadn’t had anyone like that since… since Daiya.

Not to mention, it was kind of adorable how serious and uptight he was. And the way he smiled made Mondo’s heart melt.

_Damn it, Mondo, now is not the time to let your bisexual ass get distracted by your best friend who definitely doesn’t feel the same way!_

_But what if he wants to stop being friends after this? Fuck, what if he hates me?_

He shook his head, pushing the thought away. _He trusted me with his secret without even thinking about it. And a secret like that getting out… forget losing some friends, it could destroy his entire future. Plus, the gang’ll survive without me. Yeah… I can do the right thing and still keep my promise._

“Okay,” he said to his slack-jawed classmates when Hifumi finished describing in graphic detail what he’d done to a Princess Piggles plush. “I think I’m ready to tell mine.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Makoto said encouragingly, “Nobody’s forcing you to.” He laughed. “And after what we just heard, I don’t think anything could be worse than that.”

Mondo took a deep breath. “Yeah. We’ll see about that.”

When Mondo finished speaking, he was in tears. “I killed him! It’s ‘cause I was so stupid and reckless he had to step in! He… he’d still be alive today if it wasn’t for me!”

He closed his eyes. This was it. It was all over. Nobody would want to hang out with him anymore. Hell, nobody would even want to talk to him. He’d probably be the next to die, and –

He felt something collide with his chest, and he opened his eyes. “What –”

Chihiro was hugging him.

She was teary-eyed herself. “That must’ve been so hard to talk about,” she said. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“Wha –” Mondo was speechless. “But – ya don’t understand. It didn’t happen to me. I _made_ it happen. I killed Daiya!”

Taka walked up to him, a severe look on his face. Mondo braced himself for Taka to agree with him, to say he never wanted to speak with him again.

He didn’t. He hugged Mondo as well. “Bro, you mustn’t blame yourself!” he said, suddenly crying as well. “You made a reckless impulse decision, and you couldn’t have known that your brother would suffer for it!”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Nobody blames you. So you made one dumb mistake. It was your brother’s choice to save you. You can’t blame yourself for him making that choice.”

Too dumbstruck to respond, Mondo nodded. And hugged Taka and Chihiro back. “Thanks,” he said, choked up. “I… I really needed to get that off my chest.”

Just then, the nighttime announcement played. The three of them broke away, wiping their eyes. “So,” Mondo said to Taka, still feeling uneasy. “This doesn’t change anything?”

Taka smiled. “Of course not. I understand. What happened was horrible, but it wasn’t your fault.”

For some reason, that made Mondo cry even more, and he pulled Taka close again, never wanting to let go.

Makoto cleared his throat. “So… should we continue this at breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“Well, has everyone that wants to share spoken?” Sayaka asked. Looking around, it was apparent that they had. “Okay then. Can we all agree to throw out our slips and just not think about them anymore?”

“Yeah,” Makoto agreed. “We’ve confronted our secrets, now we just gotta move past them.”

One by one, the students dropped their slips of paper into the trash.

Thirteen people left the room. One stayed behind. They looked around, made sure they were the last one in the room, and quietly began rummaging through the trash.

“Hey, Mondo?” they heard Chihiro say outside. “Could you… meet me in the pool area later?”

They smiled. This was just the opportunity they needed.

As Chiaki made her way back to her room, she felt oddly light. Liberated. Sharing her secret hadn’t been easy, but she felt better now, especially because nobody had judged her for it. They all had a few skeletons in their respective closets, after all.

And after what she’d seen today, nobody’s secret could be so bad that they’d kill to cover it up.

Right?

“Holy freaking crap,” Mondo said. “So… you’re a guy?”

Chihiro shook her head. “Well, not really. I… I’ve never felt like a boy, you know? My whole life, there was just this weird… disconnect. Like I was supposed to be comfortable in my own body, but I just wasn’t. Then, when I started getting bullied for being weak and decided to start dressing like a girl, I realized. The reason I never felt like a boy was because I wasn’t. I feel like a girl, and I like being a girl. Well, pretending to be. It just feels so much more right.” She looked down. “I’m sorry if that’s weird. It’s probably weird. I shouldn’t have come.”

She started to walk out the door but felt Mondo’s hand on her shoulder. She looked up fearfully. “Oh no… are you mad at me? I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” He tried to remember the correct term. “You’re… transgender, right?”

Chihiro’s face lit up. “Wow! You know that word?”

“Yeah. Couple’a dudes in the Crazy Diamonds are trans. But… why are you telling me this? Why now?”

“Well…” Chihiro swallowed. “I want to change.”

Mondo blinked. “Well, ya don’t have to. Being trans is nothin’ to be ashamed of. There’s nothin’ wrong with you.”

“Oh, I know.” Chihiro shook her head. “That’s not it. It’s just… the only person I’ve ever told is my dad. Everyone I know just knows me as a biological girl. But… I want to be able to tell more people. Right now I’m too scared, but, well… since I’ve gotten bullied my whole life for being weak, and that’s why I started dressing like a girl in the first place, I think if I’m able to get a little stronger, I’ll be able to tell everyone. Maybe…” She swallowed. “Maybe then they won’t judge me so much.”

Mondo stared down at the girl. He gripped the dumbbell in his hand.

He had been running away from his shame ever since Daiya died. He was too weak to confront it. He’d only managed to share it when the enormity of everyone else’s secrets diluted his own, making it seem slightly less terrible. And now, here Chihiro, this timid, quiet girl, was, ready to do her best to confront her fears and change so that she could finally accept herself.

His grip tightened. “I…”

_I’m stronger than this girl. I’m stronger. I’m strong. Strong strong strong strong –_

No. He didn’t have to pretend anymore. Because… he had friends. Friends who would accept him and love him no matter how weak he was. Friends who accepted him even after knowing the worst thing he had ever done.

_I’m weak._

_And… I’m finally okay with admitting that._

He dropped the dumbbell.

“I’m so proud of you!”

Chihiro smiled. “R-really?”

“Hell fuckin’ yeah, really!” He ruffled her hair. “It takes a lotta guts, try’na own up to your weaknesses and overcome ‘em. I wish I was that strong.” Grinning, he picked the dumbbell back up. “So… wanna get started?”

Chihiro hugged him. “Thank you so much… I promise I’ll do my best!”

Just then, Byakuya walked in. He looked at Chihiro, a smug smile on his face. “Chihiro. I thought so.”

“Oh…” Chihiro blushed and tried to hide behind Mondo. “I, uh…”

Mondo glared. “You got a problem?”

Byakuya smirked. “No, not at all. As you were.” Chihiro and Mondo looked at each other helplessly.

“Hey, you little –” Mondo turned to glare at Byakuya, but he was gone.

“That fuckin’ bastard…” Mondo muttered. He turned around to see Chihiro trembling. “Hey. You okay?”

“He’s gonna tell everyone…” she whispered. “I… I’m not ready! I’m not ready to tell anyone! I need to get stronger!”

Mondo cracked his knuckles. “Alright. Time to kick the shit outta that rich bastard.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” Chihiro said. “Just… I need some time, you know? I… I guess there’s no point being here anymore.” Head hung, Chihiro started to leave.

“Hey,” Mondo said. “What are you talkin’ about? This might not be gettin’ out the way you wanted, but, well… looks like you’ve still got a few hours to prepare. So, is it okay if I help you prepare?”

“Really?” A smile spread over her face. “That’d be great!”

“Cool. Hey, let’s roleplay. I’ll be Byakuya, you be you.” He paused, then rearranged his face in a way he assumed looked haughty. “I’m Byakuya Togami. Shut up, peasant. I’m better than you.”

Chihiro giggled. “That’s pretty good, actually.”

“Yeah?” Mondo grinned, unable to keep a blush off his face. He wasn’t used to goofing off like this. In a way it was embarrassing. But it had made Chihiro laugh, so it was worth it.

_Fuck, I’d do anything for this chick, wouldn’t I?_

Kamukura Theater

Junko laughed. And laughed. She laughed for so long that Izuru considered getting her medical attention, because this level of hysteria was definitely not normal, even for her. “Oh, it’s just too funny! It’s just too despairingly hilarious! It’s so, so funny that they all think they’re safe!”

Izuru smirked. “They shared their secrets. They moved past them. Your motive failed. All thanks to Chiaki.”

The smile dropped off her face, and she leaned in until her face was an inch away from Izuru’s. “Oh yeah? And what about the people who didn’t share, huh? What about those pathetic cretins?” She began to laugh again, and Izuru, not wanting to get any of the spit that was flying everywhere on his face, moved his head. “And oh, God, even the ones who _did_ share… sharing with a small group is one thing. But sharing with the _world_ is something totally different! And if nobody kills in 24 hours…” Her laugh became unhinged again. “Oh, God, so many of them will be ruined! Or, at least, that’s what they think. From the faggot to the murderer, they are completely and totally fucked if their secrets leave that room.” She leaned into the monitors. “Oh, and what’s this?” Her smile grew wide and triumphant. “Looks like I was right after all, wise guy. Looks like I was right.”

“I don’t like this girl!” Hiyoko whined, stamping her foot. “She’s so mean!”

“I still can’t believe you like squishing ants too!” Monaca said, happily doodling on the wall. “You’re really cool, Big Sis Hiyoko!”

“You see?” Hiyoko said. “She’s a _nightmare_.”

“Oh, shush,” Mahiru said as she dabbed a scrape on Masaru’s forehead with a wet paper towel. “There, does that feel better?”

Masaru smiled. “Yeah! Thanks, Mahiru!” After Monaca had reassured him that there was nothing to be afraid of, he’d become surprisingly sweet.

“Hey, kid,” Kazuichi said, holding up Masaru’s now fixed headphones. “Catch.” He tossed them over, and Masaru caught them, looking up at Kazuichi with shining eyes.

“Wow! Thanks, man! You guys are really cool, for demons.”

“Don’t get carried away,” Nagisa warned. “They might be Junko’s allies, but they’re still demons, and we can’t –”

Ibuki handed him a juice box.

Nagisa blinked, accepting it. “Okay, they are surprisingly nice. That doesn’t make them good, though.” He managed to poke the straw into the box on his third try and slurped it down while eyeing Ibuki suspiciously.

“Gyaaah!” Ibuki squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “These kids are just so so CUTE!”

“Hey!” Masaru puffed out his chest. “Don’t call us cute! We’re Warriors, and we could all totally kick your butts!”

“Buuuh… cuteness overload…” Ibuki spouted bubbles from her mouth the way she always did when she got overwhelmed.

“Well, I, for one, am glad you think we’re cute,” Kotoko said. “I love your outfit, by the way.”

“FINALLY!” Ibuki shouted, scooping Kotoko up and spinning her around. The younger girl giggled. “ _Thank_ you! It’s been so long since anyone complimented my fashion sense!”

“Okay, nobody let Ibuki near a child ever again, because that can be _extremely_ dangerous,” Mahiru said as Ibuki set Kotoko down.

“Whaa? Nuh-uh! My dad did this with me all the time! It’s where I got my love of spinning!” To prove her point, Ibuki spun around in a circle. “Spinning!!”

“Okay,” Byakuya said, putting the last of their supplies into a backpack. “I think we’re ready to go.”

“But… where are we going?” Teruteru, who had been appointed for lookout duty in case the Monokumas managed to get in, asked.

“Half of us are going to a safe location with the kids. He swallowed. “The other half… you’re going to find Mikan.”

“Good morning!”

Chiaki was up like a shot, wide-eyed and furious. Nobody interrupted her sleep schedule so rudely. _Nobody._

_Damn, it’s the bear. Can’t even slap him without getting murdered._

“Aww, that was kind of a lackluster reaction!” Monokuma chided. “You can do better than that!”

“What are you doing here?” Chiaki asked, allowing herself to relax.

“Oh, nothing,” Monokuma said innocently. “Just wanted to spice things up a bit.”

A low growl started in the back of Chiaki’s throat. “That’s… all? You interrupted my sleep for _that_?” This was a side that most people never saw in Chiaki, but, as the few who had witnessed it could attest to, it was a terrifying one.

“Ohoho, there’s that reaction! I was worried you were starting to get complacent, laid-back. But it’s good that you’re keeping your guard up!” He turned to leave. “Especially since something happened to one of your buddy-buddy classmates.”

Chiaki didn’t wait around for him to leave. She sprang out of bed and went running for the dining hall.

“Hey,” she said, panting when she got there. “What happened? Is everyone okay?”

“No! Absolutely not!” Taka shouted. “Junko, Byakuya, and Chihiro are off looking for whoever got… you know… and nobody else has arrived yet. I am remaining here to take a catalogue of everyone who’s all right.”

Before he even finished his sentence, Chiaki took off.

_A.V. room… nurse’s office… pool… all empty! Damn it!_

Then, just as she was starting to run out of breath, she reached the library.

_I’ve looked everywhere else. They’ve… they’ve got to be here._

_Please, God, let them not be here. Let Monokuma be lying. Please._

But as the doors swung open, she realized it was undeniable.

It hung from the security camera. It didn’t swing, didn’t move. It just hung there, still.

The dead body of Hifumi Yamada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not actually sure if Hifumi lovers exist, but if any do: I'm sorry. Am I a little biased in killing him off because I really don't care for him? Absolutely. Am I still unbearably bitter about him killing my actual son in canon? One hundred percent. Does his death work with this story? Kind of. Do I care? Not particularly.  
> Anyway. Feel free to guess who you think the killer is. Hope I didn't make it too obvious. It might take me a little while to get the next few chapters out because while they're already written I'm really not confident at all in them, and personally I think the second trial is much weaker than the first, but at this stage I'm not sure what I can do to fix it.  
> If anyone's curious, I decided not to ruin Hifumi. I mean he's still dead, but at least he's not going to be a retroactively horrible person. Thanks to everyone who weighed in, because I think I ended up with a slightly more interesting take because of this decision.  
> (In case it isn't glaringly obvious I live in perpetual fear of people realizing how bad of a writer I am, like seriously I still haven't recovered from writing a whole-ass 20k word book and my dad rating it 3/5 and that was like a month ago, I have a serious problem)

**Author's Note:**

> Fuck, I just realized it wouldn't make sense for Chiaki to know Monokuma based on where she is in the timeline and it's too late to rewrite, please kill me  
> Let's just pretend it was Monokuma who showed up on the monitors taunting her during her execution instead of Junko and move on.  
> Also just realized she'd probably be freaked out by Junko too but I can probably retcon that one later.  
> Fuck, I definitely should've edited this  
> Anyway, hope you liked. I'll probably be continuing this; it's fun to write and I actually bothered to plot it for once.  
> I'm tired.


End file.
